$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.

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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

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Wordless Wednesday – June 6th

Silver Man - near Seaport Village - San Diego
Silver Man – near Seaport Village – San Diego

Brighten up your summer patio!

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It’s not a secret– I love candles!  I have an abundance of tea-lights in my cupboard and was looking for a creative way to use them on my patio.  And, much to my surprise I found the black candle holder pictured on the right– in Target of all places. (I’ve really been trying to shop in small locally owned stores lately…)  But I must say spending $4.99 on this cute candle holder to use on my patio table was a pretty good deal.  The small heart-shaped candle holder on the left was purchased at the La Jolla Festival of the Arts many many years ago from a local artist– it also fits a tea light perfectly.  As far as the glass & black wire candle holder– I’ve had that so many years I can’t remember where it came from.  All together, this group is what will be out on my patio table.

Happy summer and may your patio table be bright!

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

  1. 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.
  2. Find your jeans. Try jeans from a thrift shop for practice if you’re new at this.
  3. 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.
  4. Decide which techniques to use. You may wish to let the fabric become thin on its own.
  5. Gather your jeans, coarse sandpaper, pumice stone, wood file, grater, utility knife, scissors and a small, flat block of wood.
  6. Draw a cutting line or pattern on your jeans with a pencil.
  7. Place a block of wood inside the pant leg beneath the area.
  8. Rub and scrape the fabric in several different directions. Use sandpaper, a pumice stone, wood file and grater. These will fray the fabric.
  9. Loosen fibers by scraping with the blade of a utility knife.
  10. Using the scissors, cut a hole through the loosened fibers.
  11. For a cute look, you can wear colored nylons or stockings beneath your ripped jeans.
  12. 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.

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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Wordless Wednesday – May 30th

View from the Coronado Bay Bridge

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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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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Wordless Wednesday – May 23rd

Welcome… USS San Diego

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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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