Recycled Handbags. “New” to me!

Are you feeling a little short on money? Feeling bored with what you see in your closet every morning? Tired of carrying that same boring handbag?

Hello Everyone! Believe me, I was feeling the exact same way– completely tired of everything in my closet. And especially bored with the handbag I’ve been carrying every single day for the past 3 months. It was my lucky day last Friday when I went to my mailbox and found a huge box filled with handbags— from my sister. (Maybe she was reading my mind!?)

This gives a whole new meaning to the slogan “shopping in your own closet.” Pictured above is a cute Kate Spade bag with red handles which will be perfect to use on the weekend running errands. Its sturdy construction will hold up well for me since I tend to over-fill my handbag. (you guessed it, this is the one I’m using now)

Pictured below is a dark blue leather handbag from Banana Republic. This one should work well with jeans and sweaters in the Fall. I usually like something a little more structured but since this one is a freebie I’m willing to think outside the box and give the “unstructured” look a try.

Passing things on we don’t use any longer is a great way to reduce, re-use and re-cycle. Whether we pass items on to friends, family or co-workers it doesn’t matter. Maybe that spare handbag gathering dust in your closet could be a treasure for someone you know.

Anyone else out there sharing clothes? Handbags? Furniture? Let me know!

Humble Hippie- new on Newport Ave in Ocean Beach

Happy Monday! The good news 1 day down and 4 to go until Friday. Just wanted to let you all know about the fabulous shop I visited in Ocean Beach this weekend. I know…. more shopping… feels like I’ve been doing a lot of that lately.

Saturday afternoon I happened upon the Humble Hippie on Newport Avenue in Ocean Beach. The sign on the door mentioned something about “a comfortable clothing company” so… of course… I had to check it out.

Long flowing skirts, scarves, vintage look t-shirts… it’s all here. I actually purchased a pretty awesome longer top with flutter sleeves to wear with leggings and boots. (perfect for a 40-ish woman– that would be me, in case you were wondering– attempting to hide some minor imperfections….)

So, not only is the clothing quite fabulous but the store itself was a delight. All the fixtures came from stores that went out of business and the “glass” display case in the front of the store was re-purposed from 3 old doors— my recycling friends should be proud! The hanging display (first photo at the top) was a table from Craigslist that was split into 3 sections. Even the rugs were thrifted. Music to my ears! I thought the suitcase display case (below) was unique– I should have asked if this was for sale.

If you’re in the market for some comfy clothes with a modern hippie vibe this is the place for you. (T-shirts anyone?) Bottom line, I had a great time in this store– Dusty– and the owner Wes were fun and cool to chat with.

Humble Hippie – Ocean Beach
4896 Newport Avenue
San Diego, CA 92107
Web: www.obhumblehippie.com

P.S. you can kinda see my reflection in the door (below)…. Cheers until next time.

— Jody —

From Trash to Treasure… to my living room…

Look what I found sitting in the alley recently– this cute table! I really felt like it had potential to become a “treasure” and couldn’t resist the urge to rescue it. Plus, I found a recipe for chalk paint and wanted to try that out. And what better way to experiment than with a free piece of furniture salvaged from the trash, right? As you can see, my little table needed some rehab–it was nothing some sandpaper and a bit of paint couldn’t fix.

I started my project by hand-sanding the table. About 15 minutes into it I was really wishing I would have busted out the power sander (as you can imagine). All things considered, the sanding part was pretty easy- it’s a small table. I’d been doing a lot of research on chalk paint and wanted to try it out to see what all the hype was about. Price-wise the “real thing” is a shade on the expensive side so I decided to make my own version. Here is the recipe I used:

Chalk Paint

1/2 cup hot water
1/2 cup plaster of paris
1 1/2 cups satin latex paint

Combine hot water and plaster of paris. Whisk. Add to satin latex paint. Mix well.

I bought my paint at Lowe’s– I got a small-sized sample container of paint for approximately $2.50. This paint was easy to mix up and extremely user-friendly. It coated the table well– in this case I used 2 coats of paint. Luckily it dries fast so I was able to finish the project all at once. I had some leftover paint mixture and was pleased to find out that you can save it in an airtight container and it works just fine the next day (I saved some for touch ups).

I distressed the edges slightly with sandpaper and I’m still thinking about putting small tiles or maybe glass on top. I’d also like to put a sealant over it to prevent watermarks and protect the wood. Considering this is a piece of furniture that I “rescued” from the trash it turned out pretty cute. Part of me wants to sell this and part of me wants to keep it….. any offers out there??!

Cheers!

Right now I’m using this as a side table by the sofa to catch my overflow of magazines and books and computers. It’s a great place to rest my ipad.

$7 Jeans–yessss!!

What could be better than a pair of fantastic $7 jeans? Maybe the good karma of knowing that I am “re-purposing” a perfectly good pair of jeans?? One less item in the landfill, right?

And I thought $9 jeans were a bargain! Imagine my delight when I found the 30% off rack at My Sister’s Closet in San Diego’s UTC neighborhood and found a pair of jeans that fit. (I hate buying jeans and usually end up trying on 30+ pair before I find something that I even remotely like– then there is the issue of me getting home and trying them on again and instantly regretting the purchase…. back to the store….)

Good news here I actually LIKE these jeans! There’s still a slight chance I will make them into shorties– stay tuned…

Happy Shopping everyone. And remember to stay “green” and reduce, re-use, recycle whenever you can. Thrift shopping is a perfect way to accomplish all three. Cheers!

Guess how much??

Can you believe I found a super cute handbag for a mere $9.99 this weekend??! In need of a little retail therapy, I stopped by my favorite thrift store “Like New” in San Diego’s Clairemont neighborhood. I tried on a few jeans and dresses– no luck in that category. I was pretty much ready to admit defeat and walk out the door when I spotted this cute handbag hanging on a rack by the jeans. Better yet it was priced under $10.

It sounds like this shop has a new addition to their website too– you can shop online. They are in process of adding photos and inventory to the site for easy shopping and purchase.

Like New… a tres chic consignment boutique
4425 Genesee Avenue
San Diego, CA 92117
Phone: 858-278-1960

Time for Summer Retail Therapy at My Sisters Closet

Hello Everyone! As far as I’m concerned, there’s no therapy like retail therapy. What better way to beat the heat than in an air-conditioned store, right?!

Why not unwind with a little retail therapy at My Sister’s Closet located in the UTC neighborhood of San Diego. My co-workers came back recently from a quick lunch break with several fantastic “finds” and were kind enough to let me take some photos. Look at this really cute Juicy Couture wallet that LD scored for a mere $17.

This wallet is so cute… why hide it in a purse??!

Okay…but wait, there’s more… KC scored three (yes, you read that right– three!) super amazing tops for a grand total of approximately $22 out the door. These are bargain friendly tops that can take you from workplace to wine tasting on a budget.

Hopefully there will be something left in the store for me…. 🙂

This blue top will be so pretty on a summer day. And the fluttery coral top pictured below is perfect to wear on a hot day. Like I said, hopefully there will be a few cute things left for me. Cheers– and happy shopping!

Thrift Shopping for Men… Look what $5 gets you!

Hey, check it out! I found another place where you can find quality thrift items for the man in your life. Jeans, belts, button down shirts… all good finds and in decent condition. Better yet everything in the Thrift Trader is $5.99 or 4/$20.

Thrift Trader
4879 Newport Avenue
San Diego, CA 92107
Web: www.thrifttrader.org

Mind you, I’ve been to the “clearance” store for this shop where everything is priced $2. Not that paying $5 is really anything to complain about! Luckily, I was at the Ocean Beach location for Thrift Trader and only two doors down from the “clearance” store called 2Dollar Thrill.

And, for the ladies reading this post– here is a cute $5 dress I found. It seems a little on the sheer side and a bit on the shortie side so I would likely wear a tank top under this and wear it with jeans– due to my advanced age 🙂

Cheers and Happy Saturday! xoxo

$9 Jeans… Fantasy turned into reality for this bargain-hunter!

I thought finding cute jeans for $9 was something like finding a unicorn on my patio. Probably not going to happen. I kept hope alive and last Saturday was my lucky day at My Sister’s Closet here in San Diego.

Okay, so maybe these aren’t over the top glamour-jeans but for $9– I’m okay with that. My original idea was to use these to make “distressed jeans”. I had a plan to use sandpaper, razor blades, a scissors and possibly bleach to make these a little more interesting. I’ve worn them a number of times already this week and now I’m not so sure I want to ruin a good thing. After all– fabulous $9 jeans… like finding a unicorn!

My Sister’s Closet
8610 Genesee Avenue #200
San Diego, CA 92122
Phone: (858) 455-0045
Web: www.mysisterscloset.com

DIY – How to Rip Your Own Jeans… on a budget

Happy Saturday everyone! This weekend I’m going thrift shopping for jeans. I’m planning to hit up my favorite “everything $2” store in the hopes they will have jeans I can be creative with. (I have my supplies all ready…) Cheers!

How to Rip Your Own Jeans

from wikiHow – The How to Manual That You Can Edit

Acquiring a fashionable pair of ripped jeans can be expensive — unless you know how to make them yourself. It requires a little patience, but the process is pretty simple.

Steps

Do some research. Look online and in fashion magazines for the best-looking rips. Most jean companies seem to place them in areas that you wouldn’t naturally tear.
Find your jeans. Try jeans from a thrift shop for practice if you’re new at this.
Decide on the size and shape of the rip. It may enlarge each time you wash your jeans, as the frayed ends get caught in washing machines. In a word, be conservative.
Decide which techniques to use. You may wish to let the fabric become thin on its own.
Gather your jeans, coarse sandpaper, pumice stone, wood file, grater, utility knife, scissors and a small, flat block of wood.
Draw a cutting line or pattern on your jeans with a pencil.
Place a block of wood inside the pant leg beneath the area.
Rub and scrape the fabric in several different directions. Use sandpaper, a pumice stone, wood file and grater. These will fray the fabric.
Loosen fibers by scraping with the blade of a utility knife.
Using the scissors, cut a hole through the loosened fibers.
For a cute look, you can wear colored nylons or stockings beneath your ripped jeans.
Bleach parts of the jeans for that extra destroyed look.

Things You’ll Need

Jeans
Coarse sandpaper
Pumice stone
Wood file
Grater
Utility knife (Straight Edge razor works well to wear the denim down)
Scissors
Small, flat block of wood
Pencil or dark marker

Article provided by wikiHow, a wiki how-to manual. Please edit this article and find author credits at the original wikiHow article on How to Rip Your Own Jeans. All content on wikiHow can be shared under a Creative Commons license.

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!

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.

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.

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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Steps

Things You’ll Need

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