Zannee’s Blog at BargainsLA.com

I love the day after Thanksgiving….But not for shopping. I rarely shop on the Friday after Thanksgiving. I like to spend it visiting with friends or family.

My favorite thing to do is have a slice of pie (or two) for breakfast with a pot of tea and hanging around with relatives in my jammies. Usually we all take a long walk to work off the meal from the night before. Sometimes we window shop but usually we pop into a local coffee dive for a fresh cup of joe.

yummy

Shopping with the over zealous “Black Friday” crowds makes me nuts. I simply won’t do it. Waiting in line to get into a store at 5am to grab a door buster deal has the ring of insanity. If you shop my leads then you know Black Friday deals are not uncommon the rest of the year. I may hit the web to shop in the evening, but shop a mall or a big box store… not a chance.

I am sooo anti shopping on this day, I wouldn’t even go to the Ed Hardy sale. I’ll have to hit that later this weekend.

Crazy Behavior

I’d much rather hit a movie in the afternoon. This year I took the family to see my childhood favorite at the NuArt in WLA…. The Red Balloon. It played as a double feature along side another film “White Mane” by the same director. Neither one of the films have been available to the public in years. The Red Balloon was better than I remembered. It’s only here through 11/29. If you’ve got kids under the age of 13, take them.

But alas, I didn’t completely get away from shopping. While I was hanging out waiting to get in to see the film all of us cruised through a used book shop around the corner Alias Books. I walked away with a super cool book for a Christmas gift for hubby.

Alias Books,1650 Sawtelle Blvd, Los Angeles, CA - (310) 473-4442

Not sure how the days gonna end. Outside of stuffing ourselves with leftovers, hubby got a really nice bottle of merlot at Trader Joes. We’ll crack that open and see where it leads us.

Relax and enjoy your weekend. Holiday shopping is about to get serious… just check out the Hot Sales page! OY!

Okay I admit it I am a Harry Potter geek.

When my daughter got into the Harry Potter, I did the hyper protective parenting thing and read the books ahead of her. These became all night marathons, which I must admit, I thoroughly enjoyed. As a smart bargain hunter, I bought the first 5 books at my favorite funky, used book store, Books 5150 (near my favorite discount shoe store, Shoe Rack) saving a good 50% off the hardback price on each book.

The release of book 6 in 2005 had me attending a midnight “Diagone Alley” bash at my local bookstore (Once Upon a Time in Montrose) and this next release on 7/21 will be the same, probably with more kids, adults and new converts in tow.

To prepare for book 7, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, I am currently re-reading book 6 and a new book written by the Mugglenet.com team called, “What will happen in Harry Potter 7”. They analyze each character and events using references from the books and interviews with JK Rowling. It doesn’t give away the ending, but it does give you some insight into where the story could go. Highly recommend it.

Here’s the rub….
It was during these recent, late night reads I discovered I couldn’t marathon read any more. A trip to the optometrist revealed that astigmatism was affecting my ability to read. I needed reading glasses…. Shit.

As usual I got my new glasses at Happy Eyes. Though the glasses are cute and cheap ($40)… I am not happy. I can easily read menu’s and newspapers for 20-30 minutes without glasses, but it’s the long, enjoyable late night reading I seem unable to do. It’s the beginning of the end for my eyesight. Next will be orthopedic shoes.
Drat, Drat and double drat!

One of my all time favorite things to do is to go shopping without any agenda. Shopping just for fun, just for the surprise of seeing what’s out there. I discovered a charmer.

Violets are Blue is an eclectic mix of vintage and new décor items. There are household décor items from cups and wall art to antiques along side new amazing cute baby items. I found fashion jewelry pieces that had that special vintage look for much less than I expected. Though it’s a retail boutique, the pricing here is very reasonable and the help is amazing friendly. This beautifully decorated shop has is a treasure trove of special gifts and items in every corner.

Violets Are Blue, 3610 ½ Foothill Blvd., La Crescenta 818.541.1115

Having been bitten by the vintage bug at Violets are Blue, I then headed back to my home turf to visit a favorite vintage boutique in the Montrose Shopping Park, Patty’s Closet.

When I first moved into the area, this was one of my first discoveries. I picked up a pair of 1940’s alligator shoes for $15 on my very first trip. This eclectic store carries both used and vintage along with a great display of vintage costume jewelry and wonderfully odd home décor pieces.

This visit had me bagging a fluttery silk tank blouse and a vintage silk blouse with embroidered cutouts, both for $8.95 each.

Patty’s Closet, 2422 Honolulu Ave., Montrose, CA 91020 818.957-5713

I ended my day with a visit to Once Upon a Time bookstore. This neighborhood favorite has a beautifully edited selection of kid’s titles from classics to new releases.

I pre-paid for the last of the Harry Potter Books, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

I also signed up my daughter and her friend Aidan and myself for the Harry Potter Midnight bash at 12:01 a.m. on Saturday, July 21st.

They transform the book shop into Diagon Alley with all sorts of familiar shops – Eeylops Owl Emporium, Ollivanders Wands, Gringotts bank, Flourish and Blotts Bookshope, Madam Malkin’s Robes for All Occasions, Apothecary shop, etc. They have a costume contest, Moaning Myrtle dunk tank, and other surprises! We went the last time a Harry Potter Book launched… what fun.

Once Upon a Time, 2284 Honolulu Avenue, Montrose CA 91020 818.248.9668