This has not been the first time we’ve sold our good under our competitors, check out our modcloth post, but it just goes to show you the deals you can get from Pixics. We might not have the volume, but it’s definitely a savings.

I’m the veritable Queen of Knickknacks, with my entire realm scattered with treasure, character, and loot. It’s always surprising what people will sell when it comes time to move, clean, or clear out. And the prices! Garage sales are unmatched for the avid shopper. Not only is there the mystery of the day, but there’s the thrill of the hunt and satisfaction of the bargain.

So, if yard sales get your blood up like they do mine, here are some tricks and tips to help you find a find next time you’re making the rounds on a fine Saturday summer morning.

Yard Sale Do’s

Get up and go early

This is extremely important for a successful yard sale day. All the avid yard-salers are up and at ‘em early enough to comb through the most promising sales before the average person is on their second cup of coffee—depending on when the yard sale starts, of course. So, if you’re really looking for the rare treasure, be up and ready to go early.

Plan your route

If you’re committed to finding the best items possible, it’s important to have a plan of attack. Check out the newspaper, craigslist, and local community cork boards for yard sale postings. Look for keywords such as liquidation, moving, clearing out and estate sale for the big hauls. Flyers with words such as antiques and collectables might have a better likelihood of higher quality items, but they’re going to come at a premium.

Make sure you head to the best yard sales first, and that you move in a logical pattern. Efficiency is key when looking for the holy grail of the yard sale, and you need to keep moving.

Bring cash

Make sure you have enough money for anything you might want. So, if you might be buying furniture, it’s important to have enough cash available. Furthermore be sure it’s all in relatively small bills, to avoid any awkwardness when purchasing knickknacks.

Bring a big car

I always bring the largest vehicle available when prowling local yard sales (typically my husband’s truck). This way, no matter what I decide I need—be it a new desk, couch, coffee table or painting—we have the space to haul it away. You don’t want to be the people who buy something and then hang around awkwardly until they can figure out a way to haul it. So know you limits.

Yard Sale Don’ts

Don’t target auctions

It can be tempting—and fun even—to hit a local auction instead of the yard sales. But those are set by professionals, interspersed with buying competition. Not a good combination.

It is extremely unlikely anything purchased at an auction will be a bargain. However, they can be a lot of fun, and there could be some interesting items. So, while they can be fun, they’re not the best idea on yard sale days (except for maybe at the end, if you’ve had a strike out day).

Don’t spend too much time at one yard sale

Take your time and browse, but don’t overdo it. I’m just as likely to fall into this trap as anyone. Yard sales are, by definition, full of junk. And it can be tempting to comb through every single piece. So go ahead and browse through, and soak it in. After all, that’s half the fun. But don’t forget you have plenty of other yard sales to go to (or you should!).

Don’t load up on junk

I’m the admitted Queen of Knickknacks. However, this is different from junk. Don’t get eyes bigger than your belly and start snatching things up, only to get home and realize you got caught up in the moment. Appreciate everything, but buy selectively. That’s the true trick to finding a find.

Don’t forget to smile

Remember, the whole point of going to yard sales is to enjoy yourself. And, while it’s always a feather in the cap of the day to bring home a find, it really is secondary to the enjoyment of the day. So don’t forget to smile and appreciate the chance to interact with your community.

Yard sales are some of the most fun I’ve ever had shopping. They can be extremely rewarding, interesting, and enjoyable. They’re low risk and often high reward. So plan your day out in advance, and then sit back and enjoy the ride. Because persistence is key when it comes to yard sales, and sometimes you get lucky, sometimes you don’t. But as long as you have fun, you’ve always found something worth finding.

Eat My Dust Satchel

Beyond the Sunrise Hand Bag

Initially, European men and women used purses only to carry their coins – they were more like wallets. Sometime in the 18th century, women became more interested in their purses looking good, so they opted for reticules, which were small purses made of silk and velvet, with a wrist strap. The Industrial Revolution in England brought along the modern purse. It was then when a certain entrepreneur ordered some traveling cases and trunks, as well as some handbags for his wife to carry her personal things. H.J. Cave made these, including a clutch and a tote – although not immediately successful, his handbags made history. They are currently on display in a specialized museum in Amsterdam. World War II and the rationalization of everything, including textiles, led to another trend: handbags made of raffia or crocheted.

Belt Pouch

Bad Case of Stripes Bag

When it comes to classification, we take into consideration the shape of the handbag as well as the handles. There is a long list of bags out there, each having its specifics, but I stopped upon some of the more popular styles.

Most similar to the initial purpose of the purse is the pouch. This is often designed as part of a belt, or with a long strap that one can wear crossbody. Next in line would be the clutch, which is usually hand-carried and tends to be worn at fancier events. Most modern bags are, however, way larger than that. The trend of over-sized handbags has been around for some years, and while it’s temping to carry lots and lots of stuff with you all the time (make up, keys and keys and keys, notebook, laptop, phone, a spare pair of shoes, a sweater and a scarf, napkins, gum and the list could go on…) it’s healthier to pick a medium sized bag.

Starburst Tote Bag

Flower Flap Messenger Bag

The most popular bags worn to school or work by young women are the messenger bag, the satchel, the tote and the hobo. All of these come in large sizes, so they can fit a bunch of notebooks and papers. The messenger is especially easy to carry, because it lets your hands free – it’s recommended for bike enthusiasts, too.

What’s your type of handbag?

]]> http://www.pixics.com/blog/know-your-bags-825.html/feed 0 http://www.pixics.com/blog/how-to-organize-your-closet-efficiently-816.html http://www.pixics.com/blog/how-to-organize-your-closet-efficiently-816.html#comments Wed, 06 Jun 2012 20:22:00 +0000 Daria1 http://www.pixics.com/blog/?p=816 Continue reading →]]> With major season changes come major wardrobe changes. This doesn’t mean that you have to shop for an entire new wardrobe, but simply that you have to organize your closet accordingly.

One thing I like to do – when I’m positive spring is along the way – is to take everything out of my closet and then put it back together in a different manner. How is this helpful? First of all, by taking everything out, you have a new perspective on your space, you might come up with new, clever ideas of storage. Secondly, you will surely find some things you forgot about in the back of the closet! At the same time, you can decide what you’re keeping and what you’re giving away or throwing out.

Through the years, I’ve tried several storage and organization options. The roughest time from this point of view was when I was living in a dorm and my closet was literally 20 inches wide. That’s when I learned to stack my tops – since most of them are quite small, they can be folded into squares and arranged like a tower. This works well with t-shirts and tank tops, but it’s not the best idea for shirts, especially if you’re not one for a wrinkled shirt.

Needless to say, I think the best way to handle your clothes is by separating them by type: all dresses should stick together, all pants should fit on the same rack and all underwear should go in a drawer, box or bag. Once this criteria is applied, you can choose to sort your garments by colors. It will be easier for you to find something if you can approximate where it is – and see how cute all those pink things look together?

Other general rules include placing the clothes you wear most at hand, and the ones that you rarely wear on a higher shelf or in the back of the closet. It’s obvious you’re not gonna wear your winter coats now, nor will you wear that pretty prom dress everyday.

If you lack closet space – and who doesn’t? – you can use some of your favorite clothes as decorations for your room. Hang some of your favorite dresses on the wall or even by the lamp like I did in the above pic, and hang some of your sheer pieces by the window – the light will be filtered in the sweetest way.

As for your accessories, such as belts and scarves, you can store them in a box or basket, rolled. This way, you’ll have a clear view of what you own.

]]> http://www.pixics.com/blog/how-to-organize-your-closet-efficiently-816.html/feed 0 http://www.pixics.com/blog/shocking-truth-about-being-healthy-958.html http://www.pixics.com/blog/shocking-truth-about-being-healthy-958.html#comments Tue, 29 May 2012 18:15:10 +0000 John Kim http://www.pixics.com/blog/?p=958 Continue reading →]]> It might seem that the way to a healthy life is by getting daily exercise and eating right, but many times we ignore something else that’s just as important.

A couple of days ago a coworker of my wife died from lung cancer, but surprisingly she didn’t smoke. I don’t know this person very well so I’m not going to make assumptions, but it got me to think that we could die any minute. I could just take this as a wake up call and start eating better and try to go for a jog everday, but even if I were to be 100% healthy, a car could hit me tomorrow. The women speaking in this video is not presenting me with any revelation, but it did help me to realize that life is short, and all you can control is yourself.

What that means is for us to make choices in our lives that will make us happier. So watch the video, get inspired, and make small steps to a better healthy life.

It was a busy Mother’s Day weekend.  On Saturday, I finally did it!  Cutting my hair short was the hardest decision I had ever made.  I’ve had long hair for all my life and I’m so not used to having short hair!  I kept telling myself it will grow back and plus, I’ve always wanted to donate my hair to Locks of Love and finally did it!  Here’s the before and after photo.

We also celebrated our friend’s wedding. They had been together for 10 years and finally got married. We are definitely happy for them and hope they start making babies real soon:-D On Sunday, we went to my mom’s church and surprised her with a flower bouquet and a gift card to Macy. Afterward, my husband took me and my son out to eat at a Japanese Restaurant called Matsui. I love Japanese food and he surprised me with a gift card to H & M, even though I told him not to get me anything. After eating we went to the park and put Dylan on the swing. His expression was priceless. Just when we were about to take a picture of him our battery ran out:-(

Here are some pictures of my first Mother’s Day Weekend with Dylan. . .

Besides music, there’s something else that makes festivals the cool events that they are: festival fashion. For a few days, you get to go wild with funky combos and hairdos. Celebrities like Alexa Chung, Kate Moss, Diane Kruger or Nicole Richie settle the tone every year at Glastonbury and Coachella, two of the world’s most important annual festivals.

Here’s looking at some of the essential pieces that you have to pack when you’re headed for a festival. The best part is that festival trends don’t go through major changes from one year to another: you can wear your mom’s Woodstock look just as you can wear new items from the SS12 collections.

Shorts; Sunglasses; T-shirt; Bag; Bracelet;

One of the must haves for any festival are shorts. Comfortable, letting you breathe, showing off your legs, denim shorts are spotted on half the female attendees at a festival. They go perfectly with an oversized t-shirt, which will create a balanced look. Don’t forget about your own protection, though: sunglasses, a hat and sunscreen are essential in your bag.

Dress; Rain boots; Sandals; Necklace; Belt pouch; Sunglasses;

Something that you should keep in mind when packing is that the weather might be changing from one day to the next. Another thing is that you’ll be on your feet a lot. These two together lead to the logical conclusion that you should pack comfortable shoes. Heels have no place at festivals. Also, you should pack two pairs of shoes: waterproof boots (can be rubber or leather) and sandals or sneakers – you can swap them from day to day.

Sunglasses; Bag; Sandals; Dress; Cardigan; Flower crown

Why wear bright colors at a festival? It’s easy: to stand out from the crowd. It’s easy to get lost in the mass of people, but it will be easier for your friends to find you if you’re all colored. Plus, who doesn’t like a little color? It’s your one chance of the year to wear all the colors of the rainbow without having people stare at you. Have lots of fun!

All festival pictures used in the collages are from Coachella and Glastonbury 2011, via harpersbazaar.com.

]]> http://www.pixics.com/blog/festival-fashion-807.html/feed 0 http://www.pixics.com/blog/baby-dylans-transformation-902.html http://www.pixics.com/blog/baby-dylans-transformation-902.html#comments Wed, 02 May 2012 18:56:20 +0000 Jenny Kim http://www.pixics.com/blog/?p=902 Continue reading →]]> Its amazing to see my baby grow before my eyes. I was going to take a picture of him everyday from birth until he is one years old but since he was in NICU for a week it was very difficult. I’ll just have to do it when he turn 1 – 18 years old, so I will be able to see his transformation.

Here are some photo collage of Baby Dylan from fetal to 100 days old…Thank you technology:-D

Wish I have a lot of baby photo like he does but I don’t have a lot of picture of myself as a baby because back in the 80′s my parent was too busy running from the war that was going on in Cambodia. They were just thankful that we were all alive.