MN – Francois et Moi

Thrift & Vintage Shop Favorites in Minneapolis

francoisetmoiblog@gmail.com — Wed, 16 Mar 2016 16:26:03 +0000

I’m all about mixing in vintage with handmade, as I think together they add depth and personality to our homes. And when I’m feeling extra inspired, I even use thrift store finds in my DIY projects because pourquoi pas, n’est pas? When we lived in the North Loop, I’d drive by the Salvation Army every day on my way home from work and would stop in (maybe a little too) often to check out their new arrivals. What’s great about the North Loop’s Salvation Army is they essentially have two stores wrapped into one. The main floor is the donation thrift shop that they sell “Buy the Pound.” The lower level is all of Target Corp’s prototypes, props, strike-offs, and (I’m guessing) over runs, so it’s all new pieces that didn’t necessarily make it to market. We’re lucky to have so many awesome thrift and vintage resources at our fingertips in Minneapolis, and since I talk a lot about mixing vintage with handmade here on Francois et Moi, I thought I’d share a few of my favorite spots to shop (or dig) for vintage home goods in Minneapolis, so in no particular order: Salvation Army – North Loop Hunt & […]

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Escape to Moose Mountain

francoisetmoiblog@gmail.com — Tue, 17 Feb 2015 19:14:14 +0000

Every year we pick a winter weekend to hit the slopes with friends in Lutsen, MN. Caribou Highlands Resort has awesome ski-in/ski-out townhomes (with wood-burning fireplaces!) on the mountain that serve as our home base for the weekend. This year, we snow-suited up for two full days of skiing on Lutsen’s 90+ alpine runs, followed by necessary après-ski cocktails, and hot tub lounging of course. A cozy up-north getaway that satisfied both our need for adventure and relaxation!

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Snow Day!

francoisetmoiblog@gmail.com — Fri, 13 Dec 2013 13:50:13 +0000

Growing up in northern Minnesota, I have fantastic “snow day” memories from childhood. In their earliest form, snow days could be summed up in bib snowpants, Sorels, snow angels, sledding parties, marshmallow adorned hot cocoa, and the liberating feeling that you had the whole. day. off. from school to play and play and play some more. In anticipation of the laughable amounts of snow that would inevitably “shut down” our brave city several days every winter, our school district’s calendar year was always a few days longer, than schools to the south of us, to account for such weather related cancelations. And though we used the term “shut down,” we hardly let extreme weather stop us from getting out and reveling in our transformed city’s fresh snowfall. Now that I’m older and have moved away, snow days are fewer and far between, so Ken and I make a concerted effort to enjoy the snow when we can, especially on the weekends. Last Sunday, it snowed all day, so we decided to hit our neighborhood ski hill to enjoy the snowfall and get our “ski legs” back for our annual Lutsen ski trip later this winter. To wrap up all this snow […]

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