Touring in my own town: Second-hand Shopping

Okay, so I need you guys to cut me a little slack on the final day of "Touring Castro Valley".  You see, one of the wonderful things about living in Castro Valley is that we are really close to awesome things.  Proximity and access to awesome are essentially the same as possessing awesome, right?  Right!  Sweet, now that we've agreed upon that fact, I can confess that my favorite thrift stores are actually in San Leandro and Hayward.  (I totally didn't mean what I said yesterday, Hayward. You're the best!)  Mere miles from my current residence you fill find treasures such as these:

Thrift Town.  I buy almost all of my clothing second-hand.  I like how Thrift Town organizes their clothing by colors AND size.  Very helpful.  And every now and then, a treasure such as the couch above will appear.  That beauty was $39.99, AND it was available on Monday when everything in the store was 30% off thanks to the Martin Luther King holiday!  Some lucky potato bought that couch for $28!  Unreal deal.  Anyway, I know where I'll be on February 3rd—scouring the racks during the annual 99¢ sweater sale!   

And my most recent discovery is Eco Thrift.  Whoa.  Quite an impressive outfit (no pun intended) they got goin' there in what is clearly an old warehouse.  Sweaters for days.  And coats!  Oh my little pony—the coats!  The photo above does not do the styles nor the colors justice.  Peas, swings, and belted maxis; mustard, light camel, and lemony-lime.  There was one in the perfect shade of red, too.  I wanted them all, and tried each on in vain.  As my grandma says, "Some days you don't make a dime," which I think roughly translates to, "You can't always get what you want."  So true, Mick and Grams, so true.  Still, when a wool coat only costs 200 dimes (before factoring color tag discount), it can be a challenge to walk on to the next rack.
       

Today was green tag day, so the vintage JC Penney "ski sweater" above was 50% off, and therefore could've been mine for $9.98.  Alas and alack, 'twas not meant to be.  Like the aforementioned wool coats, it just didn't fit properly.  Le sigh.  But, behold!  Le purr:   

I pretty much guaranteed securing Grand Prize should I find myself at an Ugly Christmas Sweater Fête next holiday season.  The teddy bear(?)'s face is pretty effed up.  And his scarf is three dimensional.  As are the jeep's tires.  Truth be told, though, I think it's so ugly, it's kinda cute.  Like a chihuahua.  Or monchhichis.

If you really must give STUFF

Smokey gives 5 claws!

With the weekend upon us, you may be fixin' to go on a holiday shopping spree.  I've already given you my 2¢ on the matter.  Lest you think I am one of those Grinch or Scrooge types though—I do understand the desire to have physical presents under that tree, lookin' all purty + just begging to be opened.  And, so, I bring you a round-up of (drum roll, please) . . . my favorite Stuffs You Can Make for Loved Ones!

• For cat lovers, or your own felines of course - a repurposed cardboard kitty scratch pad.  My cats tore theirs to shreds over the course of a year or so.
• For little ones - a few playful ideas + a billion more ideas for toys + games to make (both for and by the kiddos).
• For photography lovers, or for anyone you think could get really into snapping dreamy, old-timey photos - how to make a pinhole camera Part 1 + Part 2.
• Last minute + stocking stuffer ideas.
• Not one, but two (TWO!) gifts in one - reusable produce bags, which can double as gift wrap for what I'm about to link you to . . .
• Everyone loves tasty treats, right?  How about whipping up fun + delectable ready-to-assemble recipes like this caramel apple kit, homemade pancake mix jars, homemade nutella! (perhaps a nice spread for the aforementioned pancakes?), or hot chocolate kits?
• For the bibliophiles in your life - sew a simple e-reader case.

If you simply do not have time to do-it-yourself, take advantage of all the craft fairs in December (Bazaar Bizarre!, Renegade Craft Fair!, and other Bay Area options listed @ KQED Arts) and purchase local + handmade gifts.  If you prefer to shop from the comfort of your footy pajamas, cozy sheets + laptop, go to town searchin' for fabulousness via the Local feature on Etsy. 

Whew.  And with that, I think I will shut up on the subject of holiday gift giving.  Probably.  ;]

Cleo gives 10 claws + a pink nose to the cardboard kitty scratch pad!

But back to that whole gift giving thing

2010

My car's thermometer registered 61˚ today.  Which can only mean one thing: it's the most wonderful time of the year.  Much mistletoeing, hearts will be glowing, and all that jazz.  Not trying to rain on the Christmas parade, but, as previously noted, I think the holidays provide a wonderful opportunity to give gifts that encourage loved ones to hang out with one another, help build community, and increase participation in cultural events. 

The very creative + sage Jordan of Oh Happy Day! agrees with me.  Check out these 10 brilliant gift ideas she suggests.  My favorites are tickets to a lecture series, reserve a campground, and the offbeat city tour.  If I may, I'd like to add to the list of awesomeness.  Behold:   

•  If you live in the Bay Area, you may know about The Parkway Theater.  'Twas a wonderful spot to view a flick.  Think couches, pizza, and beer.  Cozy, no?  Unfortunately, it closed its doors in 2009, and a group of dedicated, community-minded, film-loving souls embarked upon efforts to re-open The Parkway.  I remain hopeful that good will triumph over evil, and Bay Area cinephiles will soon enjoy beer with their movies once again.  Gift a membership to one such lucky duck.
• And speaking of the joy of film.  How about a subscription to Netflix (or if they pissed you off with their shenanigans this Fall, choose an alternative service)?  One of my favorite gifts I ever forced my father to give me was a Lord of the Rings marathon.  When I learned he had never seen any of the trilogy, I said, "Faja! You. Me. Peter Jackson's masterpiece. All. In. One. Sitting. I want nothing else for Christmas!"  He obliged.  We chose a particularly grey Saturday morning, gathered a bunch of comfort food (couldn't sell him on lembas, though), and watched the heck outta those movies! 
• I already mentioned museum membership, but it's such a rad idea, it bears repeating.  There are so many cool museums! 
• Is your friend or loved one keen on art, books, games, music, and various other creative ventures?  Donate to a Kickstarter campaign in his or her name.  You can easily discover projects to fund based on category or location.  With your pledge, you are helping artists', musicians', and creators' dreams come true, while simultaneously snagging goodies for your gift recipient.
• Want to make your parents smile?  Take a photo with Santa.  Yes, as an adult.  Bonus points if you + your siblings (or significant other) wear matchy matchy outfits.*  Print it, frame it, possibly festoon the frame with glitter.  Or candy canes.  Your call.  Don't pretend like you don't want to.

What are your ideas for "experience" gifts?

*We didn't dress as twinsies last year (see photo above) because we were pleasantly surprised to see Santa at the airport + this was an impromptu photo shoot.  On our part, at least.  :]

On gift giving

Speaking of helping Mother Earth look her Sunday best, see that image down there on the previous post?  That's a temporary tattoo designed by Marc Johns.  Available here @ Tattly.  Dontcha think a monthly subscription to these truly stunning tattoos would make for a fun + memorable gift?  I wish more folks would remember that experiences trump stuff* when shifting into gift-giving mode during the holidays.  And all that crap we buy that comes in all that packaging and fancy, non-recyclable gift wrap?  Destined for landfill.  And all the pollution we create in the manufacturing of all that crap?  Sweet Valley High!  We can stop this.  In lieu of ye olde tradition of bestowing white elephants upon loved ones, consider giving theater tickets, museum memberships, donations in their name to organizations they support.  Or temporary tattoos. ;]  

rainbow

*stuff won't make you happy, experiences will