May31

Eco Land and Sea — locally made spa goods

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Eco Land and Sea — locally made spa goods

Feeling tired and stressed? Want to soak in a steamy tub with eco-friendly soap? Herbal ingredients calling your name?

Eco Land and Sea is made from an eco-heritage that spans the land and sea.

Get clean with botanical, no palm oil or animal-body fats type herbal soap bars.  No detergents added, just pure, natural soap.

You can also stock up on bath salts, bath powder and bath bombs. (oh yesss!)  The best part about all of this– the stuff is locally made and eco-friendly.  Everything was really pretty.   Word on the street– they suds up well.  I should know–  I met Chris who told me he is the person who makes the soap.  Sounds like he is working on some new formulations and made a special order for a customer last week.

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I met up with Chris last week at the farmer’s market in San Diego’s UTC neighborhood.  He was working the booth and singing the praises of eco-friendly soaps.  I just loved these tiny heart soaps priced at a budget friendly 50 cents each.

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Lots of lovely choices on the table! And wrapped in delish looking ribbons– by the way they smell just as delish.

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May29

Thrift Shopping… at the farmers market

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Thrift Shopping… at the farmers market

One of my favorite summer activities is browsing thru the local farmers market. What could be better than listening to some fun music and shopping at sunset? I live in San Diego’s UTC neighborhood and have recently “discovered” we have a farmers market on Thursday nights.

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Last week I met Sandi and Hugh at the Terra Verde Foods booth.  Terra Verde Foods is a small family owned and operated specialty foods business started in 1996 as an organic farm in Fredericksburg, Texas.  Their interest in food and cooking led to the development of Terra Verde Farms’ artisan foods. Terra Verde Foods specialty foods are hand-made in small batches from recipes that have been in the family for generations or new recipes developed from scratch.  Minimal sugar is added to the products… and no artificial flavorings, preservatives or colors. You’ll remember what fresh fruits and veggies taste like!

I sampled the Tomato Basil Garlic pasta sauce with a sprinkle of Lavender Pepper. What a wonderful combination.  Pictured below you can see my purchase of the evening– pasta sauce. It was $8.75 well spent. Since I’m a one-person household right now, I asked about the best way to save leftovers.  Guess what– I’m told freezing is the way to go.

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Like I said, this Lavender Pepper was a delight. Something about eating lavender flavor seemed odd– but after a taste– ooo la la.  I can easily see myself using this sprinkled on cheese as an appetizer or as a seasoning on steak or salmon. I do tend to like a more subtle flavor which explains why I liked this so much.  (I’m already pre-planning this will be my next purchase!)

Cheers- and happy food shopping at the local farmers market.

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May24

Thrift Shopping for Men?!

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Thrift Shopping for Men?!

Polo shirts for $10 and nice looking suits. Wow, I was shocked when I browsed thru the men’s section at My Sister’s Closet. Typically the selection for men is meager at best when I’m out and about at the thrift stores. The back section of My Sister’s Closet is totally devoted to all things menswear. I found a wall of shoes– yes, a wall of shoes!

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And the shoes were barely worn at a fraction of the cost of a new pair.  Check out these two suits. Both are great looks for the new grad interviewing or maybe someone who needs an economical style punch.  I really like the blue shirt and the patterned tie pictured on the right, below.

As far as accessories, I found a really good quality day bag and several beautiful watches. By far, the shoes were the biggest surprise “find.”  Anyone into colorful and beautiful ties will be excited to check out the selection here.

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Maybe the man in your life is more casual and maybe looking for bargains? I found an entire rack of cool clothing at 40% off.  Some of the shirts were under $9 and all were good quality and barely worn.  The light pink dress shirt pictured below would look great with a nice pair of khaki pants, jeans for a night out or even black dress pants.

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Guys– thrift shopping isn’t just for the girls!  This place rocks.

  • Well Suited – men’s clothing & accessories
  • 8610 Genesee Avenue #210
  • Costa Verde Center (across from UTC mall)
  • San Diego, CA 92122
  • Phone: (858) 455-0045
  • Web: www.shopwellsuited.com

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May22

A Potpourri of Hats!

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A Potpourri of Hats!

Who doesn’t love a cute hat? I literally bumped into a fantastic hat kiosk tonite in Westfield’s UTC Shopping Center.  Personally, I wear a lot of hats on the advice of my dermatologist.  (you can never be too careful with your skin and sun protection in the summer!)  Check out this small but mighty kiosk…

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  • Chapeaux – jour au nuit apropos
  • Email: ChapeauxHats@yahoo.com
  • Westfield UTC
  • 4545 La Jolla Village Drive
  • San Diego, CA  92122
  • Phone: (619) 944-0381

So, fellow San Diego residents– if you are getting ready for opening day at the Del Mar Racetrack this might be a good place to shop for that necessary new hat.  Prices range from $20 to $45 for basic hats.  If you want something more on the fancy side prices go from $45 to $110.

I found a fantastic selection of floral headbands for $10 to $14.  These are perfect for younger girls.

That sign below w/ the visors being “buy 1/get 1 at 50% off”— nice! That visor would be easy to roll up and pack into a travel bag for a weekend getaway or vacation, right?

I had a nice conversation with the owner, Jenifer C.  She told me trunk shows are available upon request. A percentage of sales can either go to the host or benefit a charity.

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I’m thinking one of these visors might be good to wear either at the beach or maybe when I’m out and about on weekends. After all, I am in sunny San Diego!

Of course, check out the photo below with the amazing floral headbands.  What a great way to add a little color into your world.

Cheers!

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May21

Item of the day : Stella McCartney Falabella Fold-Over Bag

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Item of the day : Stella McCartney Falabella Fold-Over Bag

Reblogged from Rocking Closet:

Click to visit the original post

Ok, this might be a “little” expensive, but it has got to be one of the most amazing bags i’ve seen in a while.

Stella McCartney Falabella Fold-Over Bag Price: $1,095.00

But as Coco once said : “The best things in life, are free. The second best things are very expensive”.

True. Unfortunately.

Okay, I agree this is more than a "little" expensive. But it's so pretty I couldn't stop myself from sharing. Now if I could only find a suitable substitute. Anyone have ideas how to make that happen? Cheers and Happy Tuesday everyone!
May17

Thrift Shopping Adventure at the Library!

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Thrift Shopping Adventure at the Library!

Where can you find a bookstore that sells paperback books for 75 cents or $1 DVDs? I regularly visit my local library and it didn’t dawn on me until this week what a really good thrift shopping buzz can be found… at the library!

Yes, the Friends Bookstore at North University Community Library had me at the first hello.  I shop there regularly– especially for my summer “beach reads.”

  • North University Community Library
  • 8820 Judicial Drive
  • San Diego, CA  92122
  • Phone: (858) 581-9637
  • Web:  www.sandiegolibrary.org

And when my computer was on the blitz– I used the computer room at my local library to write-up my blog posts.

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Look at the cute children’s story area. And the computers.  On Wednesday night when I stopped by there was a lively bluegrass band– “Old Town Road” playing for patrons. For free.

I noticed there is a knitting group that meets at the library. For free. You can meet your neighbors and learn to knit… at the library.  Looks like there are quite a few books on textiles and knitting– more cost-effective to check out the books rather than buying them.

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By far my favorite part of the library is the Friends of the Library bookstore- filled with those $1 hardcover books and 75 cent paperbacks.

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So… have fun at the library.

May15

Recycled Bike — New to Me & Ready to Ride!

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Recycled Bike — New to Me & Ready to Ride!

I’ve been talking about getting a bike now for close to a year. Finally on Friday I couldn’t take it anymore and decided to take action. I’d been randomly “bike shopping” on Craigslist for months. (Always the looky-loo and never the buyer.) I had a short list of bikes at the ready and when I got home from work I started calling. Lucky for me a UCSD student answered the phone and agreed to meet near the local mall in a well-traveled parking lot with– you guessed it– a bike! Even more lucky– the bike was in good condition and I decided to just go for it. So… $100 later and I was the proud owner of a blue mountain bike.

This thing seems to be “more bike” than I probably need but I’m slowly figuring out that 24 speeds and gears are all good things. My neighborhood has just enough hills to keep things interesting– and painful. Speaking of painful– I did have a few minor mishaps with the mountain bike. It’s a heavier bike and I accidentally dropped it on my toe (ouch!) and then tried to hop off and banged up my knee and leg (another ouch!). Considering I haven’t ridden a bike since I was in high school– so far so good.

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The best part about the whole thing is– I bought the bike off Craigslist which means I got to “recycle” a bike. To me this was much better than buying a new bike.  And more cost-effective. I figure if I get sick of this one I’ll just sell it myself on Craigslist and swap out for a different bike. See you on the trails (or maybe the stores or maybe both….)  Stay tuned to see if shopping and mountain biking can mix!  Cheers!