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Our (Completely Unofficial) Macklemore Thrift Shop Challenge

Psst- We’re bouncing around the West Coast this weekend with a talk and signing in Portland on Saturday at Rejuvenation at noon (for more info call 503-238-1900). Then on Sunday we’ll be in Palo Alto at 11am at the West Elm on 180 University Avenue (RSVP here). Parking isn’t enforced on Sundays so you can park anywhere, or you can purchase a visitors pass at Palo Alto Civic Center and park in any of their lots all day.

There are two irrefutable facts about me. 1) I tend to fall in love with rappers and 2) I’m a fool for a good thrift shop. So when those two passions collided in the form of this Macklemore & Ryan Lewis song called Thrift Shop, the Internet at large was quick to clue me into its awesomeness, which started around the fall of last year and continues well into 2013. So to anyone who commented/tweeted me the link, thank you for giving me my official jam of 2012 and 2013. The clip below is the clean radio edit of the song (if you’re on a smart phone click here to watch it) but here’s a link to the official non-clean video (warning: it’s a bit, um, saltier).

And now that the song is starting to get some radio play (seriously, they’ve started playing it here in Richmond!) it gave us an idea. As J-Boom and I pulled into a thrift store while it played, I was like “Ooh look at this, it’s so meta, a song about thrifting is playing while we’re going thrifting.” And then John turned to me and said “We should do a Macklemore Thrift Shop Challenge.” And boom. Just like that I fell more in love with my husband.

Macklemore Challenge

Here’s the deal. This “Challenge” is basically an excuse to all (virtually) go thrift shopping together and share our spoils, plus there’s a scavenger-hunt-ish element tossed in for good measure. So it’s meant to be a nice low pressure Friday fun-fest. And just like our little Pinterest Challenges, if you’d like to partake and blog about it, we’ll do a little linky thing next Friday so everyone can share their favorite finds. There are just THREE things you gotta do to play along (well, four if you count blogging about it later, although of course you can play along even if you don’t have a blog).

Step #1. Go to a thrift shop with – just as the chorus of the song says – “$20 in your pocket” and take a picture.

Macklemore Twenty

Step #2. Spend that $20 any way you’d like and photograph your spoils. They can be home related, fashion oriented, kid focused, anything. And you don’t necessarily need to make them over or repurpose them at all (although that’s totally allowed too!). It’s just an adventure in seeing what people all across the country (the world?) can score with a twenty at a thrift shop. And if you don’t find enough items to spend the whole twenty, there’s no pressure to buy weird things to meet that number, so it’s more of a cap than a you-must-hit-this-exact-number thing. This isn’t The Price Is Right.

Oh yeah, and we’ll reveal our spoils with everyone else next week…

Macklemore Dolls

Step #3. Find one item (or more) referenced in the song and snap a pic. Here’s the scaveger-hunt-ish element that we tossed in because we’re weirdos. And you get bonus points for doing something ridiculous with the item in the photo. After all, Macklemore has some pretty great confidence when he’s rocking those footy pajamas.

Macklemore Keyboad

If you’re like John and have a terrible time deciphering rap lyrics, we’ve listed some of the items you could hunt for here: clothing with fringe, an all pink outfit, moccasins, a velour jumpsuit, house slippers, a brown leather jacket, a keyboard, a kneeboard, shoes with velcro, luggage, a plaid button up shirt, flannel zebra jammies, PJs with built-in socks, a telescope, and of course… a big a$$ coat.

Macklemore Coat

Feel free to interpret the scavenger hunt items as literally or as loosely as you’d like. The point is just to have some good clean thrift shop fun. Happy hunting! We’ll be back next Friday with a rundown of what we found, and we can’t wait to see what you guys score as well.

Viva la thrift shop!

Comments

    • Vicki says

      Ah! Two favorite blogs coming together under one roof…er…url…
      And Thrift stores! I might pass out from excitement. Or just get my A$$ to the sto’

  3. Kara says

    I’m in!
    Thrift shop… this can mean Salvation Army, Goodwill and Volunteers of America stores too, right? I don’t know of any indie thrift shops here, nothing awesome like yours!

    Reply

  9. Bethany says

    My boyfriend was the one to clue me in to Thrift Shop and we both love it. I’m definitely going to convince him to do this with me!!

    Reply

  10. Fran Siefert says

    Will you share an email address with me? I want to forward some “OLD” ideas that I just received in an email – clever ideas for OLD things you your YOUNG HOUSE LOVE….
    Fran

    Reply

  13. Robin @ our semi organic life says

    Love this! Will have to watch this when I get home (how did I miss this soon to be all time greatest hit?). I’ll probably hit up Love of Jesus as well. Shall the creepy dolls be mine?! j/k no. I did grab an awesome H&M coat there once for $5.

    Reply

  15. Sarah says

    Sherry,

    As a girl from Texas, the picture of you in the big a$$ coat is what I think someone from Jersey looks like… A mob wife for sure. I hope you bought that coat and added some gold sparkles!

    Reply

  17. Brenda says

    Hahaha! I love this! My cousin introduced me to the song a month or so ago, and I’ve just started hearing it on the radio the last two weeks here in the Twin Cities. And my favorite line of the song is the keyboard one, so the pic of John makes me super happy!

    Reply

  18. Lindsey says

    That coat looks good on you $herdog! And bonus points… it looks a little granny-ish so it totally works with the song (“Is that your grandma’s coat?”)

    Reply

  19. Claudia says

    This is so awesome! I made my husband watch the video last week and he’s been playing it ever since! I just emailed him a screen shot to tell him my favorite bloggers are doing a thrift shop song challenge and my life is complete.

    Reply

  21. Kayla says

    Oh snap. I have a new favorite song – and something to do this weekend. As Barney would say…Challenge….Accepted!

    I’ll be the book signing in NYC next week – so excited!!!

    Reply

  22. Alice H says

    This is hilarious!! I am up for the challenge!

    We love that song. Even though my 3 year old now says piss! I guess our radio version didn’t block that word out. Oops!

    Reply

  27. Melissa Irvin says

    In the words of the late Whitney Houston, “hell to the yeah!” No, she wasn’t a rapper, but still a music icon! If you were an exhibitionist/flasher, that big @$$ coat could qualify for an all pink outfit. :)

    Reply

  28. Kat says

    Challenge accepted!

    I made the mistake of sharing “Thrift Shop” with my co-workers this week and unknowingly played the “salty” version, so very, very awkward. O_o

    Reply

  29. Brad @ Mr. Write Away says

    So… I’ve never heard this song before and now it’s going to be in my head the rest of the day. Which probably has something to do with the fact that I watched it 2 times in a row, okay, maybe 3 but it’s catchy.

    Reply

    • Tam says

      Sher Dog–

      Those bangs will be DOG GONE at the rate your lovely locks grow–soooo, more pictures please!!! Just sayin’ :)

      xo

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Haha, the bangs will come down when I have time to do them and it’s not all crazy and humid or raining. Otherwise I’m a girl with a brillo pad on her head :)

      xo
      s

  36. Melissa says

    Ha, this is beyond amazing!! I am obsessed with Mackelmore, the entire album is so good. So bummed I can’t see you guys at the Tacoma Dome today, but I did have my high school graduation there….awesome! Have fun!

    Reply

  41. Jenn says

    This song is my husband and I’s jam right now! Also, I am totally chair dancing with my earbuds in at the library…yes, I am THAT cool.

    Reply

  44. Wendy @ New Moms Talk says

    Love this! Will you make this a regular (say quarterly) challenge?

    My hub is a big fan of thrift shops. Some days he’ll randomly ask, “do you want to go to thrift hunting today?”

    He has his sections and I have mine. We pass the baby off in between and compare!

    Reply

  46. AnnMarie says

    Scored the most gorgeous ikat throw pillows last night (ok, not at a thrift store) but they were only $15 each and I’m still soaring high from this “Sherry moment”!

    Reply

  49. Sarah says

    BEST. POST. EVER. (No offense to the other great posts, though. I think I have to accept this challenge. And tell everyone I know about this song. :)

    Reply

  50. Cyndi says

    Hazards of having teenage sons as well as a toddler – our 3-year-old kept asking “Is that your grandma’s coat?” every time I had my jacket on. I was a little offended until I heard the Thrift Store song. :)

    Reply

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