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Unique Shops Found at SOCO and the OC Mix

April 22, 2013 · by · 2 Comments
My Day at the OC Mart Mix.jpg

Recently, I had an opportunity to visit one of Orange County’s newest shopping venues, The South Coast Collection (SOCO) and the OC Mix.  The SOCO/OC Mix is a casual and hip shopping and entertainment center in Costa Mesa. The center is convenient to get to and is spaciously designed.

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There are so many stores, I wanted to highlight a few of the stores that I enjoyed the most. The first is from the SOCO area, Fixtures Living. Fixtures living is not your father’s fixture store. This store has some amazing items for your kitchen, bath and backyard. There is complementary beverage service at the store’s entrance and some fabulous displays of home furnishings.

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Besides fixture and furniture stores, there are also many stores offering clever and chic home decor in the OC Mix shopping area.

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The OC Mix is a center like no other and has an eclectic variety of jewelry, clothing and specialty stores.  One of my favorites was Analog record store, where you can listen to records and check out their selection of antique record players.

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There are a some great culinary stores.  There is a restaurant supply store (Surfas), a great olive oil and wine bar (We Olive), a spice store (the Savory Spice Store)  to name a just a few.

 

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Additional epicurean delights are available as the OC Mix has at an oyster bar, a tea bar, a juice bar, several wonderful restaurants and bakeries, and perhaps one of the best places to get a coffee in this county, The Portola Coffee Lab.

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What is great is that you will not find chain store here, many of these shops offer homemade and unique items. Best Tastings.jpg

There are so many wonderful shops to explore at SOCO/The OC Mix. On Saturdays, there is a farmers’ market with fare from local farmers and businesses. There is also complementary valet parking available on Saturdays.

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By the way, one of my new favorite restaurants is at this center which I will be sharing later this month so stay tuned.

The center is located at:

South Coast Collection/The OC Mix
3313 Hyland Avenue
Costa Mesa, CA 92626

For hours and more information on the OC Mix click on their website here or follow them on Twitter here. For more information on SOCO and the farmers market, check out their page here and follow them on Twitter here. This center and many of its stores host family events, cooking classes, tastings and other activities, so be sure to bookmark post if you are planning a visit to the OC.

I love this new shopping area and have been back once since the tour just last week and will be back again. Which store that I highlighted intrigues you the most?

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Filed Under: Frugal Fun, Orange County Fun, Shopping · Tagged: , , , , , , , ,

Planning My Easter Dinner with Ecce Panis Gourmet Artisan Breads #EccePanis #cbias

March 19, 2013 · by · 8 Comments
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Disclosure: This is a sponsored post – all opinions are my own

With Easter just a few days away, it is time for me to to get my meal plan going and start shopping. I love Easter. When the kids were small we would have an Easter egg hunt outside (or inside if it was raining). I remember several times finding eggs a couple of weeks after Easter that were well hidden.

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Now that the kids are older, we prefer to have a casual Easter dinner together. I am planning on having ham, potatoes and vegetables this year. I am also thinking about making some cheesy crab bread to go along with it. I will decorate the table and leave little favors for everyone. After all, the Easter bunny still likes to leave gifts.  After dinner, we usually have dessert and watch Ben Hur or the Ten Commandments on TV.

It is early this Saturday morning and I am the first one up. I love this time with my coffee to get my thoughts together.  I made a list so that I do not forget to pick up items that I needed. If I do not write it down, there is a good chance that I will forget something. I am planning my Easter Dinner and that means a trip to Walmart.

#Easter #dinner list

 

After the making my list, I headed to Walmart to get started on it. It was a beautiful sunny day in southern California and I am loving that it is the weekend and I have the morning to get things done.

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I love that I can get so many things at one store.  This week has been really busy so shopping at Walmart not only saves me money, it also saves me time and energy, which I appreciate.

I headed to the fresh bakery section which was easy to find.

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There are many varieties of Ecce Panis Gourmet Artisan Breads and they are all in baskets in the bakery section.

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I loved how inexpensive Ecce Panis is and I picked up a European Baguette and some Bake at Home French Dinner Rolls.

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I want to share the Cheesy Crab Bread I am serving as part of my Easter meal this year. A friend of mine gave me this recipe when we were in college and it is delicious. The recipe is below:

Cheesy Crab Bread

1 Ecce Panis European Baguette

1/2 cup crab (imitation ok)

3/4 cup cheddar cheese, shredded

3/4 cup mayonnaise

1 tablespoon chopped onions

1/2 teaspoon worcestershire sauce

 

Preheat broiler.

Combine all ingredients in a bowl, except bread. Mix until well combined.

Cut Ecce Panis European Baguette into 3/4″ slices and put on cookie sheet.

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Spread cheese mixture liberally onto bread.

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Broil 4-6 minutes until cheese is bubbly.

Cheesy Crab Bread #EccePanis #Easter Bread

 

These are so tasty and soft in the center and crunch on the outside. The crab meat and the cheese mixture combine to complement the wonderful taste of the Ecce Panis bread.

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Oh and as you can see, I am using the eggs I bought for my Easter centerpiece.

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I loved my Saturday shopping at Walmart! To see more about my shopping trip and all the cool eggs I looked at before deciding, check out my album on Google + here.

Are you hosting Easter this year? What is on your menu?

If you have not tried Ecce Panis Gourmet Artisan bread, you can find a coupon here.

 

I am a member of the Collective Bias® Social Fabric® Community. This content has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias® and Ecce Panis Gourmet Artisan Breads. All Opinions are my own. #EccePanis #cbias #SocialFabric

 

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Filed Under: Entertaining, Recipes, Spring · Tagged: , , , , , , ,

Is Black Friday Worth It?

November 14, 2012 · by · 17 Comments
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When I was a teenager, my mother and I would wake up really early on Black Friday and head to the shopping center.  Back then, May Company, Robinsons and Bullocks used to open at 7:00am with great sales.  All the holiday merchandise was at least 50% off and the stores had various special sales on clothing, housewares and gifts.  We would buy wrapping paper, ornaments and housewares.

We would have so much fun getting our shopping done and finishing just in time for a late breakfast.  There were never any incidents of violence involving shoppers.

Now things are so much different.  Now you hear about people camping out the night before (Thanksgiving) to be among the first in line at stores.  In fact, I heard that Walmart is starting their sale at 8:00pm on Thursday.   There are still some great sales, particularly in the area of electronics, but often there are limited quantities.  Add the internet sales and all that is available there and I have to tell you that I will most likely skip Black Friday.

If you do go here is my list of helpful tips:

  • Make a list from the ads of things you are looking for by store.
  • Prioritize that list, each store gets busier each hour so choose strategically.
  • Don’t buy something unless it is on your list or is such an incredible deal that it is truly worth it.
  • Wear comfortable clothes (but not pajamas).
  • Black Friday is not for the faint of heart, be prepared for crowds galore and long lines.
  • Take a bottle of water and snacks because the time goes by fast.
  • Treat yourself to a nice breakfast or lunch afterwords.  If you time it right, you will still have most of Friday free.
  • If you decide to skip it, there is always Cyber Monday.

Will you be going out to the Black Friday sales?

 

Filed Under: Frugal Fun, Shopping, Time Saver Tip · Tagged: , , , , ,

A Plan For Shopping At Outlet Malls

October 9, 2012 · by · 6 Comments
Saks

Do you shop at outlet malls?  I am a fan and I enjoy some outlet malls more than others.  The key for me is not the number of stores, but the brand and types of stores that are there.  I shop the outlets frequently because they often have some really good deals.  In order to get the most out of your shopping trip, I am suggesting a few tips to maximize your experience.

fall fashion

1. Download a map and directory to the mall that you are planning on visiting.  Note the hours of operation.  Some outlet malls open up earlier than traditional malls and you can shop when it is less crowded.

2. Wear comfortable shoes that you can walk miles in, trust me you will be glad at the end of your trip. Sa). the heels for later,( or find some new ones at the outlet mall).

3. Make a list of what you are looking for and have a budget so that you do not overspend.  Check the directory listing to see if the type of stores you want to visit our listed.  Outlet stores vary from mall to mall.

4. Follow the center on Facebook or Twitter or email as many centers offer discounts via this route.  If you do not have these accounts, stop by the visitor center and ask if there are any coupons or special offers.  I have yet to go to an outlet mall that did not have coupons or special offers and I have been to quite a few.

5. Bring bottled water or snacks in case the shopping trip in case you get hungry or if the visit goes longer than planned.

6. Check the return policy at the stores you shop in so that you are fully aware of the policy.  Ask if they have a rewards program.  Many do and this is another added bonus.

7. Try to avoid busy times (late weekend afternoons).  You will be able to shop more comfortably and get more assistance from employees when you are not competing with lots of other shoppers.
The Outlet Mall that is closet to me is The Outlets at Orange.   They have a wonderful selection of stores and more are coming in a few months.  They also have some wonderful restaurants there.  There is even a brewery.   This week they had an event that I attended for bloggers.  Here are some pictures of the event below:

OAOEvent

SaksThe event was nice, but the shops are better.  They have a wonderful selection of clothing, housewares, accessories, electronics and beauty in over 120 stores.  If you are in the area, check them out on their website, they are worth a visit while you are in the OC.  They are close to Disneyland and Knotts Berry Farm.

To check out their website, click the icon below.  They have a great deal page on their site as well.

outlets

Do you shop at outlet malls?  If so, please share with me which ones you like, so I can add them to my list.

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P.S. I was not compensated for this post.  I did receive a tote bag and some snacks.  All opinions are my own.

Filed Under: Frugal Fun, Shopping · Tagged: , , , , , , , , ,

Discovering DownEast Basics

August 10, 2012 · by · 13 Comments
DownEast Basics

Recently I had the opportunity to check out a store that I had never been to before. I am a bit of a creature of habit when it comes to clothes shopping. I tend to find stores I like and only go back to those same stores. I like to wear comfortable clothing that I can dress up or down. I work in a professional office, so the garments have to look neat and stylish, but not too trendy. I also like a streamlined closet so it is important that my clothing be suitable for work, social functions and casual weekends.

DownEast Basics is a new favorite of mine.

Their clothing easily complemented what I had in my closet.

DownEast BasicsTheir styles could take me from a casual coffee date to a social event with a change in shoes and jewelry.  The other factor I appreciated was that their prices were very reasonable.

In fact, that week most of their skirts were just $25.  I added three skirts to my wardrobe (here are two of them).  With a cardigan or blazer and a pair of heels, I can be work-ready.

DownEast Basics was hosting an event the evening I visited and there was a gift card in the gift bag that I did not use that night.  I will definitely go back again.  They have stores in the southwest and there is an online and by mail catalog available.  They also have girls clothing and accessories.   This post was not sponsored and I am sharing my personal opinion.  Check out their blog here. They are having another sale!  Be sure to stay tuned the upcoming closet organization project I will be sharing soon!

What is your favorite store to shop for clothing? Please share!

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Filed Under: Frugal Fun, Shopping · Tagged: , , , , ,
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