Best Buys

Greer Wylder

A big plant sale is happening Friday through Sunday in front of Kmart

on Magnolia in Huntington Beach.. It’s sponsored by The Orange County

Fuschia Society. The selection of plants for sale includes fuschias in

all colors, shapes and sizes, and other plants. The sale will last from 9

a.m. to 9 p.m. on Friday and Saturday and 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Sunday.

Kmart is at 19101 Magnolia in Huntington Beach. Information: 714)

374-6456.

Piece of cake to make it yourself

The best local resource for cake decorating and supplies is

Austin-tatious Cake & Candy Crafts in Huntington Beach. The store carries

everything you need to successfully make a beautiful cake at home

including, cake lace, colored luster dust, professional strength

artificial flavors, meringue powders, cake molds, candy molds, candles,

cake decorations and maker’s hats and aprons. The store also offers

classes on making chocolate candies, cakes and fondants. Classes are

offered from 7 to 9 p.m. Monday through Thursday, and from 9 a.m. to 11

p.m. on Saturdays. Chocolate candies classes are offered one night a

month; basic cake classes are offered one night a week for a three week

session; Cake II and Cake III classes are offered one night a week for

two weeks, and children’s chocolate workshops are offered once a month on

a Saturday. The fondant class is new, so there isn’t a set schedule for

it yet. The store is open Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday from 11 a.m. to

7 p.m., and Monday, Friday and Saturday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. It’s

closed Sunday. It’s at 19941 Beach Blvd. in Huntington Beach.

Information: (714) 536-4559.

Make your commute bearable

Talking Book World is an audio book sales and rental store with shops

in the U.S. and Canada. The store carries a big selection of audio books

on audio cassettes and CDs that range in price from $25 to $49. A big

part of the business is the rental plans that are ideal for commuters.

There are different plans for renting, there’s a single book rental at $9

a week, two-week rentals at $15 and a 30-day rental at $19. A lot of

people sign up for “blocks of time” rental plans. It allows you to prepay

for rental times, be it a six month or 12 month period where you can

check out as many books as you want. It’s at 16755 Beach Blvd. in

Huntington Beach. Information: (714) 843-9222.

Sale on Department 56 collectibles

For all kinds of gifts and home decor there’s the Combest General

Store in the Huntington Beach Mall. The store is filled with Fourth of

July decor -- cups, plates, flags, lights, collectibles, stuffed animals,

cards, stickers, hats, pillows, ribbon, Lenox Classic figurines and

Yankee candles. The store is also having a 60% off sale on retired

Department 56 collectibles including pieces from the Snow Village,

Dicken’s Village and Snow babies collections. The store also sets out

monthly coupons for savings inside the store. The current coupons are for

savings on teacher themed gifts, graduation frames, Amscam products --

invitations, thank you notes, birthdays, parties, weddings, baby

announcements -- plus there are extra savings on red tagged sale

merchandise. It’s at 7777 Edinger in Huntington Beach. Information: (714)

895-9977.

Get zany -- but use your brain and save

A storewide summer sale through July 7 is going on at Zany Brainy in

Huntington Beach. On sale are select craft kits, video games, books and

Thomas Wooden Railway and more, reduced 75%. A lot of the sale

merchandise and the regular merchandise are sold exclusively at Zany

Brainy and are award winning. Zany Brainy carries Barbie products, Dora

the Explorer merchandise, Hot Wheels, Penny Racers, Power Rangers, Harry

Potter Lego’s, Scooby Doo merchandise, The Crocodile Hunter items and

Spider-Man and Star Wars items. Summer-related merchandise includes

water rockets, junior adventure backpacks, water guns, camping kits,

wooden Adirondack tables and chairs, shovels, beach chairs, sand sets,

inflatable pools and Waterpark Adventure play sets. Zany Brainy is in the

Huntington Beach Mall at 7777 Edinger Ave. in Huntington Beach.

Information: (714) 373-1333.

* BEST BUYS Send information to Greer Wylder at o7

greerwylder@yahoo.comf7 or 330 W. Bay St., Costa Mesa, CA 92627, or via

fax at (949) 646-4170.