Tagged: Kelly Hamilton

BLACK FRIDAY

Story highlights:

  • Black Friday 2012 at Best Buy through the eyes and experiences of two bargain-hunters.
  • Top deals and steals!
  • How to get the most out of next year’s black Friday shopping extravaganza: research the deals ahead of time.

When I went back to my hometown last week for Thanksgiving two friends of mine were discussing the black friday deals and I decided to follow them on midnight after thanksgiving dinner to black friday at Best Buy.

The two friends were DIYster Kelly Hamilton (check out a former post about her here) and 23-year-old Corey Weaver of Lakewood, CA. Hamilton was on the hunt for a point and shoot digital camera, and Weaver was looking to score some video games.

Cory Weaver, 23, and Kelly Hamilton, 24, at dinner the night before black friday where we discussed our game plan.

Both went to Best Buy the Tuesday before and talked with an employee about how to get the most out of their first black friday experience. According to a Best Buy manager, shoppers could preview deals beforehand by going to their website. All discounts were labeled “while supplies last,” but depending upon the product, shoppers could receive many black friday 2012 discounts online as soon as midnight struck.

What brought the crowd out at midnight after Thanksgiving dinner were those products labeled as “in-store only.”

Hamilton said,

“It’s between the Sony NEX5N and the Canon PowerShot G15 for me. The Sony camera has a removable lens which is pretty cool for a point-and-shoot, but the Canon is a great model – they haven’t changed it for a couple years, and all the websites I’ve seen it on give great reviews.”

Vs.

Weaver said, “It’s all about the Canon, it’s perfect to keep in your pocket and takes great pictures even in low light. I wish I was getting it.”

We arrived at the Best Buy in the Marina Pacifica mall in Long Beach at about ten minutes to midnight on Thanksgiving and there was a line wrapped around the side of the building. Hamilton and Weaver said that they recognized some of the people who were still in line since Tuesday night.

A woman who asked not to be named or photographed said she had been there since Tuesday after she got off from work at 5 p.m., “I am here to get Toshiba flat screen t.v. that will be on sale for $179.”

Some of the other black friday in-store only deals popular with the Best Buy shoppers were phones, like the Samsung Galaxy Tab 2  for just $179, and laptop computers like the Samsung bundle, a 15.6 inch screen and 4GB with a 500GB hard drive for about $350.

Once they opened the doors I was genuinely surprised by the lack of chaos compared to the stories that came out last year. Best Buy had the lines roped off so people could not cut, and let a large group of customers into the store about every 3 minutes.

The television and video game part of the store definitely filled in the quickest but everything remained  relatively normal as far as shopping conditions were concerned, except for the fact that it was midnight on a holiday.

Best Buy in Long Beach, CA at midnight of Black Friday.

I followed Hamilton to the camera counter where to her surprise both of her choices were on sale for the same price: $450. There were significantly more Canons available than Samsungs, but Hamilton confidently went with her gut and settled on the Canon without any regret.

We left the store at about 1:00a.m. and only had to wait inline at the checkout for less than 5 minutes because Best Buy had made it so that you could pay for your items within the department of the store you bought them.

Weaver made it out with two games: Assassins Creed 3 and Call of Duty Black Ops 2, both for just $29.99 each. Weaver said, “I’m so hyped! I already told my boss that I would not be making it in to work tomorrow because I doubt that I will go to sleep before the sun comes up.”

Punk Rock Rings from Recycled Plastics and Leather

Story Highlights:

  • Designer and photographer Kelly Hamilton is a 23-year-old from Long Beach, CA who makes rings from recycled plastics, leather and high quality screw-in studs.

  • Purchase her handmade one-of-a-kind designs online ranging in prices from about $30-$65 on her Etsy website, Did I Stutter.

  • In the future, Hamilton plans to branch out and has already began working on other jewelry pieces including bracelets, cuffs, necklaces and earrings.

Kelly Hamilton is a 23-year-old recent graduate from with a bachelor’s degree in studio art, emphasis in photography from Cal State University Long Beach. A self-proclaimed lover of arts and crafts since childhood, her current project has been her line of hand-made rings she sells on her Etsy site titled Did I Stutter, which uses recycled plastics, leather  and high quality metal spikes.

Founder and designer of the line, Did I Stutter, 23-year-old Kelly Hamilton of Long Beach, CA.

Born and raised just outside of Long Beach in the small Orange County city of Seal Beach by her divorced republican parents, Hamilton said her artist mother brought her up in a creative atmosphere, “My mom was always painting, quilting, sewing… you name it. Every year we made our own Halloween costumes, valentines, christmas cards and so on.”

Hamilton uses high quality, screw in metal spikes and recycled plastics and leather pieces to create her one of a kind pieces. Some of the items she has recycled from include old film canisters, jackets, key chains and a majority of her plastic coming from used plastic medical cannabis  containers (in true punk rock fashion).”Don’t worry, all products are guaranteed to be 100% legal,” Hamilton joked as I spoke with her on the phone about the direction she plans to go in.

“I’ve always loved art and fashion, I started out in college as a drawing and painting major before switching to photography. I would love to design and make clothing and all types of jewelry once I can finally get some money to fund my projects. I took a jewelry making  class while I was still in school where I learned a lot of skills I apply to the rings I make now.”

Hamilton plans to branch out beyond rings and has already started working on bracelets, necklaces, cuffs and earrings that she will be putting on her Etsy site and says up to this point she has mostly gotten her  line, Did I Stutter, out through word of mouth amongst friends and colleagues.

Jennifer D’Agostino is a 25-year-old hairdresser of Los Angeles, CA  who says she wears one of Hamilton’s rings every day and constantly gets complimented on it from clients.

Jennifer D’Agostino, 25, a hair stylist of Los Angeles, CA shows off her Did I Stutter one-of-a-kind piece.

D’Agostino said, ‘I seriously never wear rings but I recently came up on this leather and stud one that Kelly made me and I’m OBSESSED with it. My hands feel like a tomboy that finally found a dress they love.’

Kelly’s mother, Rona Hamilton, is also an artist who makes jewelry as well, mostly using beads she orders off the internet. Rona said Kelly has always been a creative individual.

“Kelly is always surprising me with really different ideas of how to use ordinary materials to make things that border on art and functional pieces.”

Her prices range from around $30-$60 dollars and can be purchased from her online store here. Also be sure to check out of some of  her awesome photography from her photography and illustration portfolio website here, look hard enough and you may just spot me in a couple of her shots!