Thrift Shopping Buzz

Pretty Please – Uptown District in Hillcrest

This is the perfect place to find casual, cute and sexy attire! Most definitely worth a trip… I promise you won’t be disappointed! Tip: If you don’t see something you like in your size, be sure to ask. Associates are very helpful and willing to check for additional sizes at their other locations in Del Mar Highlands and Paseo Carlsbad.

Pretty Please is a ladies fashion boutique located just off the 163 freeway & University Ave in the Uptown Shopping District in San Diego’s Hillcrest neighborhood that specializes in fun yet affordable clothing. Whether you’re heading for a glitzy night out or just want something fun to wear around town, Pretty Please will have what you’re looking for. Brands include: Sky, Language, Sweet Pea, Weston Wear, Joe’s Jeans, Skinny Jeans, Miss Me, Lush, Michael Star, Rubicon and many more.

Pretty Please – Uptown District Hillcrest

1220 Cleveland Avenue

San Diego, CA 92103

Phone: (619) 296-1188

I had a great time shopping here. Below are a few photos of what I found….

UCP Thrift Store – Pacific Beach

Fashion without limits for all people on a budget! I was thrilled when I stepped into the United Cerebral Palsy Thrift Store in the Pacific Beach neighborhood of San Diego. Boots, jeans, cute shoes, jackets galore and awesome dresses. They also had a decent selection of kitchenwares and miscellaneous household items. Of course, this is one of those places where the fun is in the thrill of the hunt.

United Cerebral Palsy Thrift Store

1454 Garnet Avenue

San Diego, CA 92109

Phone: (858) 490-6400

www.ucpsd.org

Looking good and helping people is always a good combination. United Cerebral Palsy is one of the largest and most efficient health charities in America. Their affiliates in San Diego County spend approximately 85% of total income on community programs and services.

It’s a sure thing I will stop by this place again– there is plenty of selection and the store is clean and well-organized. Happy Shopping! Below are some photos I took of different items I found while shopping at the UCP Thrift Store.

Computer & InkStore – Affordable Printer Ink Cartridges

Tired of paying ridiculous amounts of money for printer cartridges? (Personally, I was. This is why I had been putting of replacing my ink cartridges for so long!) While out and about last weekend I stumbled upon the Computer & InkStore on Garnet Avenue located in the Pacific Beach area of San Diego. This shop has been saving San Diegans money for over 8 years.

The Computer & InkStore refills your empty printer ink cartridges with less impact on the environment and at a fraction of the cost of buying new. All cartridges are filled while you wait and typically within 15 minutes with a 100% satisfaction guarantee for the life of the cartridge. All of it sounded too good to be true. However, I can tell you from personal experience my printer cartridges worked great when I got home. I got out of the shop for approximately $20 and within 20 minutes (this gave me time to browse some of the local shops nearby).

Computer & InkStore

1440 Garnet Avenue

San Diego, CA 92109

Phone: (858)412-3270

www.computerandinkstore.com

I found out this shop also does PC and Mac repair and maintance, virus and spyware removal, laptop screen replacement and data recovery/back-up and transfer. Free estimates are given for all repairs and there’s not a charge if it can’t be fixed. Best of all they repair the screens for the iPhone 4 product. This is great news to me as I’ve been known to turn into “butter fingers” and drop phones. Not a good trait when it comes to the expensive iPhone 4!

Here is a sample of pricing for services:

Broken Screen & LCD Repair on iPhone 4– $85
Home Button Repair on iPhone 4– $49
iPad 1&2 Glass Repair– $139
PC Tune-up– $25
Data Recovery, Back up & Transfer– $50

Dumpster Diving- Patio Chairs From Trash to Treasure

Tonite I’m writing this post from the comfort of my “new” patio. Decorated courtesy of yet another quasi-dumpster diving adventure. You don’t always have to jump in the dumpster to find the good stuff. My patio chairs were found outside the trash bin which is much easier for me to navigate given that I’m 5 ft 4 inches on a good day.

My two chairs started off a rusty, metal mess. I initially wondered if they might be better off just staying in the trash?

I busted out some sandpaper and sanded off the worst of the rust. Then I whipped out the spray paint and voila– in a hot minute I was finished. Two perfectly fabulous chairs. Side note– this sounds like an easy project but I did experience a few minor mishaps painting due to semi-windy conditions and blowing newspapers. Thankfully there’s not a noticeable amount of paint specks on the patio though the floor is now a much deeper shade of gray in certain spots. Shshsh… don’t tell my apartment complex…

To complete the project I found a cheery red pillow at WalMart for $7 and a small table at Target for $15. Right now I’m using two rugs that are rejects from the kitchen years ago. I’m still in the market for a like-new rug and maybe a few more plants and candles. I’m determined to have a low cost and semi- upcycled/recycled/repurposed patio area. So far, so good. (Let the dumpster diving adventure continue!)

Cost of Project:

2 Metal Chairs– FREE
2 cans black satin spray paint (WalMart)– $5.00
1 red pillow (WalMart)– $7.00
1 small table (Target)– $15.00
Plants– FREE

Wordless Wednesday – February 22nd

Fashion Finds – Goodwill Industries – Pacific Beach

Are you wondering what to wear to that 80’s theme party you just heard about? Need a dress for the office? Or maybe just shopping for some gently used kitchen wares? Have I got the place for you– the Goodwill store in the Pacific Beach area of San Diego was stocked with lots of amazing choices for all of the above. I even found some decent golf clubs. And some pretty wine glasses. And a new popcorn popper. The jeans selection was quite good too. There was a rack of jeans 75% off in front of the store and of course like anything else it’s the thrill of the hunt. There’s everything from the possibility of Paige jeans $7.99 to jeans from Old Navy for $2.50– best to be alert and be ready to search!

Goodwill Industries

1430 Garnet Avenue

San Diego, CA 92109

Phone: (858)274-4960

Even more awesome, military, students and senior citizens get a 10% discount (with ID). The staff was friendly and helpful and the store was basically well-laid out and organized. It was an easy place to shop. Whether you’re looking for a wacky puffy vest or some “Hollywood hip” wear for a theme party– the Goodwill is a wonderful place to shop. Check out some of the items I found….

JCPenney Styling Salon – touch up style bar

Did you know that JCPenney had a “touch up style bar”? (I definitely knew nothing about this service!) While wandering thru Fashion Valley Mall this past Saturday afternoon I passed by the fantastic “touch up style bar” outside the styling salon at the JCPenney store. I was stopped by Carie who is a Senior Hair Designer there. She offered to touch up my hair– for free! Excellent! And on top of that I was given a sample of Big Sexy Hair voluminizing hairspray– for free. Just because I tried out the touch up style bar! (Saturday was a great day for the free samples)

FYI the salon is open 7 days a week including evenings. Appointments are recommended but not mandatory. Here is a sample of services offered:

Classic Manicure– $15
Classic Pedicure– $35
Eyebrow Shaping– $12
Haircut & Blowdry– $32
Foil w/ Haircut– $90

My hair “touch up”consisted of a light go-over with the flat-iron and adding a few curls and some hair spray. Turned out great! I was completely impressed with Carie, the senior stylist who helped me. And completely impressed with the quality of the salon at JCPenney. I really had no idea. The prices are affordable and this is somewhere I would definitely stop back for a manicure or quick haircut while out shopping at Fashion Valley Mall. Bravo!

JCPenney Salon/Spa

Fashion Valley

6987 Friars Rd

San Diego, CA 92108

Phone: 619-297-2342

Blondstone – jewelry studio in La Jolla & Ocean Beach

Blondstone – jewelry studio

925 Prospect Street in La Jolla, CA 92037

4931 Newport Avenue in Ocean Beach, CA 92107

www.blondstone.com

It was a rainy Wednesday last week when I was in Ocean Beach. The plan was to visit the Farmers Market but the weather got in the way of that. Lucky for me I found the amazing jewelry studio Blondstone on Newport Avenue. I’d walked by a couple of times but never went in. Again, lucky for me it was a rainy afternoon and a jewelry store was the perfect place to wait out a few sprinkles!

I found some beautiful necklaces and earrings. I have a weak spot for jewelry and always like the look of sea glass pendants. Also known as Mermaid Tears this is naturally tumbled sea glass– found locally and around the world. Blondstone captures these fine ocean gems in brilliant silver settings (again, a personal favorite of mine) as pendants, rings, bracelets and earrings.

Sol Wave— I found a really pretty necklace called the Sol Wave. Excellent design and comes in several sizes and price ranges. Below is my favorite Wave on Leather- Medium- $60. Great size to wear with summer t-shirts and dresses.

Blondstone is a great place to score beautiful designer sterling jewelry. As the working design studio of SOL Designs by Heidi this is the only source for Heidi’s popular designs.

Shoes Me – divine shoes & accessories in Pacific Beach

Shoes Me

1419 Garnet Avenue

Pacific Beach, CA 92109

www.shoesmeonline.com

Facebook: ShoesMe pb

What a fabulous treat I found when I wandered into Shoes Me in the Pacific Beach area of San Diego. Not only did I find beautiful shoes but some fantastic accessories as well. I found a divine brown handbag for the delicious price of $49! Perfect to stay stylish on the weekends or maybe running errands. There was an excellent selection of boots too. (I love boots) I took a lot of photos while I was in the store– my pictures are below.

Not only boots and shoes– I tried on some eye-catching beaded bracelets and noticed there were some really pretty earrings. I like the big earrings and Shoes Me had a fantastic selection.

In the store, I was greeted by an enthusiastic salesperson– and even offering red wine and chocolate! All this was perfect for me after a busy and stressful work week. Of course, it is always more fun to shop for shoes after a few sips of wine.

Great news– there is an amazing promotion going on right now at Shoes Me. Their flats are ringing up at $13 and boots are ringing up at $39 or less! Wedges and heels are $10 to $20 off.

My purchase– sunglasses. I’m always obsessed with sunglasses and fairly sure you can never have enough shades! I scored some cute animal print sunglasses for a mere $13. It was actually difficult to make a decision on which ones to buy– the selection was great.

I had a great time shopping at Shoes Me and definitely planning a return trip. I really want to try on more shoes! (I’m in the market for Spring sandals and wedges)

miss match – A retail therapy gem

miss match

4932 Newport Avenue

San Diego, CA 92107

http://www.missmatchsd.com

When you need a little retail therapy stop by miss match along Newport Avenue by the beach. Colors pop! There was a tray of fantastic bangles by the check-out marked $3. Excellent!

I walked thru the door and was dazzled by the beautiful accessories and cute handbags. I’m in the market for a new purse and this was a great place to “check out the sights.” You can see the amazing brown bag I found in the photo below.

The earrings and necklace selection was delightful. And colorful for that matter. I found an impressive selection of dressy clothes too. I really feel like I did experience retail therapy at miss match. (next time I have a bad day I’ll just go shopping. Bravo!)

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