GREER’S BEST BUYS:

Sandcastle Mono- gramming & Gifts is a gem of a store on Balboa Island for finding personalized gifts to monogram. The gift selections include baby items, bridal gifts, towels, robes, totes and more!

And all prices include personal monogramming. Some of the most popular items include bright and fun insulated lunch bags for adults (make great teacher gifts); sleepover pillowcases with autographed pens for birthday parties or camps; Blanket Buddies, which are plush animals and security blankets all in one; lingerie bags for brides; surfboard shaped beach towels, silk jewelry rolls, and laundry bags for college-bound teens.

Sandcastle offers Christmas gift specials that include festive guest towels, stockings, tree skirts and aprons. Order by Wednesday for a Dec. 25 delivery; and Dec. 15 is the last day for a Dec. 25 in-store pick up.

Open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday; and noon to 5 p.m. Sunday. 226 Marine Ave. For information, call (949) 723-5988 or go to www.sandcastlemon-ogram.com.

Below-wholesale linen

Find great savings at the annual Waterford linen sale from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday in Costa Mesa. Choose from brand new table linens, place mats, towels, sheets, comforter sets, duvets, pillows all made by Waterford, Wedgewood, Calvin Klein, Sigrid Olson, along with house brands made for Bloomingdale’s and Macy’s, among others. Prices are below wholesale and they’ve been slashed even lower this year. The sale is at 494 Costa Mesa St. (corner of Irvine Avenue). A portion of the proceeds will go toward the Newport Harbor Education Foundation.

Olive oil galore

All foodies, health enthusiasts and home cooks can find the freshest extra virgin olive oils from around the world under one roof! Olive Oil and Beyond on Balboa Island is a fresh and organic haven for all things olive oil. It offers one-stop shopping for hard-to-find organic olive oils, limited production balsamic vinegars, artisan salts, raw unfiltered honeys, specialty pastas, organic chocolates, appetizers and more.

Co-founded by Matthew Pour, this specialty shop is big on educating its customers about the health benefits of pure olive oils, and stresses the likelihood that most extra virgin olive oils on the market are blends with chemicals and other oils. Olive Oil and Beyond sets its own high standard of offering the finest olive oils — they have access to the freshest and rarest oils. You can come in and taste any of the 85 olive oils, infused oils, 18 balsamic vinegars (including peach, fig, black cherry, pomegranate and more) and 16 non-balsamic vinegars. Oils and vinegars can be poured and bottled individually. Stop in for a hostess gift, or choose from 10 gift baskets.

Open 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily at 210 Marine Ave., Unit A on Balboa Island For information, call (949) 566-9380. or go to www.OliveOilandBeyond.com.

Interior items on sale

Canvas Interior Design in Costa Mesa is having a year-end sale to clear out extra inventory today through Saturday. You can find great deals on furniture and accessory items, including some fun vintage industrial pieces. Since they specialize in model homes there is a lot of glassware, gifts, planters, lamps, artwork and even Christmas decorations. Canvas also specializes in decorating offices and clubhouses. Open 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Thursday and Friday; 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday. And by appointment.

Canvas is at 3183-C Airway Ave. in Costa Mesa . For information, call (714) 432-0171.

GREER WYLDER writes Best Buys, which runs Fridays. She’s the founder and president of www.greersoc.com, a free daily e-mail service that provides the latest in Orange County fashion, dining and trends.