Photography/Vintage Moving Sale in Northeast Minneapolis
On my walk to the coffee shop today, I stumbled across some signage with the magical word “sale.” Being up for an adventure, I followed the signs into one of the buildings in the old Grain Belt Brewery complex. Upstairs, a beautiful artist’s loft with exposed brick and high windows was filled with props, photography supplies and vintage items as photographer Christopher Grey is downsizing his photo studio and putting his stuff up for sale. If you’re a Minneapolis vintage collector, photographer or just an urban adventurer up for a little eclectic shopping, hit up this sale right away as he’ll be gone in a week.
The sale continues through this weekend. Find it at 77 13th Ave. NE Suite 202, Minneapolis, MN 55413. Contact Chris to check on the status of the sale before you go.
Game of thrones fan? Chris is selling a $400 dragon.
And, on the more affordable side, Star Wars cups for only $5.
I love bringing news of vintage sales, pop-up shops and local store and shopping events to Minneapolis fashion shoppers. Know of a current or upcoming sale or event? Let me know!
St. Patrick’s Day the Vintage Way
Happy St. Patrick’s Day, Paperdoll-ers. I celebrated yesterday with my traditional trip to downtown St. Paul’s Landmark Center for the Irish Music & Dance Association’s Day of Irish Dance. It’s great to see the growth of many new dance schools in the Twin Cities area and watch Irish dance flourishing here.
Since Irish dance has been a part of my life for more than the last decade, I wanted to share how Irish dance has been portrayed in eras passed. When I was researching vintage cards for Valentine’s Day, I realized that there are quite a few St. Patrick’s Day card designs. A few portrayed dancers, so I decided those were the ones to share with you here.
Back when cards were still super popular, it was traditional to send St. Patrick’s Day greeting cards to friends and family. The vintage images printed on these cards have seen an upsurge in popularity. Even at Day of Dance, I saw Landmark Center’s gift shop had little trinkets with reproduced Irish greeting card image for sale.
Vintage cards aren’t usually worth a lot, since most have already been written on and mailed.This one is from Ruby Lane is selling for $12, the upper end of the vintage card market.
This reproduction is available in poster format from Amazon and yours for $7. Not collectible per se, but a cost effective decorative item nonetheless.
This postcard has a couple kids doing something that might vaguely resemble Irish dancing, but they should probably work on keeping their arms straight.
Happy St. Patrick’s Day!
St. Patrick’s Day Style
Last spring was all about mint. This year’s limelight is on mint’s yellower cousin, a limeade hue that lends itself perfectly to the green holiday itself, St. Patrick’s Day. Hopefully you won’t run into any pinchers on March 17th, but why not add a little spring green to your day anyway? In lieu of garish head to toe green, here are some cute and subtle ways to accessorize your way into St. Patrick’s Day in style.
Yellow Owl shamrock necklace; Green nail color; Restricted heels ; St. Patty’s Day scarf, handmade item from Etsy.
40 Hanger Closet Makeover
Organize Your Closet with 4 Steps & 40 hangers
How to do the 40 Hanger Closet
Have you heard of the 40 Hanger Closet? Forty hangers is not a lot. When I counted all the items I had in my closet, it was over 80. And I promise you, I do not have a big closet. My stuff was so jam packed there was no wiggle room to even move one hanger. And I sure wasn’t wearing the vast majority of what was in there. The worst part was I’d actually forgotten about some of my clothes that had gotten lost in my closet. It was time for a major closet organization.
The goal of the 40 Hanger Closet Makeover is to make your closet your very own boutique. Everything you have in your closet you’ll love, you’ll be able to find, and you’ll be able to see what matches with what. Basically it’s a way to turn the closet you already have into the closet you dream about without buying a single piece of clothing.
That’s a lot to ask from 40 hangers. If you’re up for the challenge, here’s how to do it.
The 4 Steps to Create a 40 Hanger Closet
1. Get all matching hangers. I bought forty of the velvet-covered “huggable hangers.” They are available online and just to warn you, forty can cost about $40 (but check discount stores like Ross or Marshalls as they occasionally have some cheaper). This is a lot for hangers, I know, which will make you grateful that this is called the 40 Hanger Closet and not the 100 Hanger Closet. These hangers are worth the extra money because they look amazing, keep your clothes firmly on the hanger, and aren’t as bulky as the plastic kind. Of course, you can always use matching hangers of a different type, the velvet kind are just what worked best for me. Matching hangers might not seem important, but the appeal it gives your clothes will make you feel like you’re shopping in a boutique which is exactly what you’re going for here! Here are a few kinds I like.
2. The next step is to purge your wardrobe down to only 40 hangers. This is an ongoing process for me, as I have a lot of dresses and jackets that I keep hanging up no matter what the season in order to keep them wrinkle-free. I exceed the 40 hanger limit for one type of hanger-an accessories hanger to keep scarves and belts organized!.
You can find something like this for $7 at Nordstrom Rack
3. Stick to it! The important part is not to cheat and sneak in more hangers, or add even one mismatched hanger. If you don’t have enough hangers, ask yourself if there’s something hanging up that you aren’t currently using. Find a spot for it somewhere else or consider letting it go. For more ideas on how to give away or re-purpose your old stuff, I have posts about that too.
4. Enjoy your new boutique of a 40 hanger closet!
If you have tips about closet organization I’d love to hear them. What works for you?
For more information on the 40 hanger closet, visit Ruth at Living Well & Spending Less.
4 Ways to Get Ready for Spring NOW
Sorry to be blunt, but March is here and spring is not. But I’m pretty sure that it’s coming…eventually. Here are some things I’ve found to help put spring in your mood, if not the weather forecast.
1. If you can’t bring yourself to stock up on short sleeve blouses yet (just looking at the thin fabrics on the shelf makes me shiver), pick up an affordable new accessory in the coming season’s hot colors such as orchid and peach. Target’s selection of fun spring accessories yielded the scarf in the photo.
2. Do some spring cleaning to make room for new things in life. Getting organized and clearing clutter is refreshing in more ways than one. It signals that you’re embracing changes to come, whether that’s a new season or a new chapter in your life. To make room for the new, host a stuff swap or donate to a worthy charity.
3. Bring a little spring inside with a new plant. I especially like succulents because they’re self-sufficient and look cheery in the bright sun. Or try terrariums, which have enough whimsy for all seasons.
4. Make a tropical dish, like my Pineapple Pecan Dip, that’s sure to make you and your friends believe that warm temps are right around the corner.
