What a sweet light to sleep by.

This past Saturday, we walked to Home Depot and got a 6′-tall Douglas Fir for our Christmas tree.  There was a gigantic line of people waiting to get their tree trunks trimmed, but lucky for us, Tim owns a buzz saw.  We were able to skip the line and bring our tree home quickly—yay!

Usually, we like to let the tree “open” overnight after having been tied in a bundle for who knows how long.  However, I was a bit impatient this year, and after only a couple hours, I started putting on the lights and decorations.  I tend to keep it pretty simple with multi-colored lights and glass ornaments of various shapes, sizes, colors and textures.  However, that’s the extent of it; there’s no garland or beaded strings, no fake snow or ribbons or bows.   I like having it still look like a tree.

I’ll post more pictures soon.  It has opened up a lot since we got it and has shed quite a few needles, but that’s mainly due to the interference of wayward wagging dog tails. They’ve already broken a few of the low-hanging ornaments!

It’s been very cold in Los Angeles lately.  Well below normal and even though it’s December, this chill is unusual for us.  The high has only been around the mid 50s and it drops to the 40s at night.  It’s also been rainy and windy—what a miserable combination! I try not to go outside unless I absolutely have to.

It would be nice if this “arctic front” led to snow, but it won’t snow here in Hollywood. Towns around me are getting a bit of snow here and there, but central Los Angeles doesn’t seem to be able to achieve the right conditions for snow.  Though as the song goes, “it’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas…”

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Even in heels, my jeans are too long.

I practically live in blue jeans and often can’t resist buying a pair if it fits well.  Despite a good fit, they almost always are too long.  Pants aren’t usually designed for someone who’s only five feet tall.  I buy them anyway, telling myself that I will get them altered, but being frugal, I have been putting off spending the asking price of $14/pair to get them shortened.

So for the past couple years, I have accumulated a pile of jeans that never get worn.  While I was in Rite Aid the other day, I saw that Singer products were on sale, and the heavy-duty hand needles caught my eye. Impulsively, I bought a set and a spool of brown thread - might as well try to see if I could do it myself!

I came home and picked out my least favorite pair since the potential for disaster was pretty high.  Now, when it comes to shortening a pair of jeans, you could do a simple, straightforward hem.  This is just cutting, folding and sewing.  The problem with this is that most jeans have distressed hems.  Look at the bottom of jeans and you’ll see that the edge has a worn, “hammered” look.  Some even have fringes or tears, all of which give it character.  Cutting that off and sewing in a new plain hem is not the look I want for my jeans.  Instead, I needed to attach the original hem.

After a bit of searching, I came across this site with great instructions on how to attach the original hems when shortening a pair of jeans.  In a nutshell, you’re not removing excess length from the bottom, but from above the original hem.  It’s sort of like tucking in and cutting.  Your sewing isn’t even noticeable unless someone comes down and examines your hemline closely.  It works perfectly!

Original hem has been pulled up, sewing line barely visible.

I was able to do a pair by hand, but it took me over an hour and honestly, it was pretty tedious.  With nearly a dozen pairs that needed shortening, I couldn’t see myself doing the rest by hand.  I needed a sewing machine and knew just wear to get one!

A few days prior, I was in the thrift store at the corner and saw an old Sears Kenmore sewing machine.  I could tell it was an older model because it was all metal; most modern sewing machines are plastic.  I went back to the store hoping it was still there.  Not only was it still available, but the cashier gave me $5 off!  Though I think it’s because she felt sorry for me since I was carrying it the 2 blocks home.  One thing about metal sewing machines - they are friggin’ heavy!  (It’s been 2 days and my shoulders and upper back are still sore and I work out regularly!)

My new old sewing machine from Out of the Closet.

I got it home, tried in vain for over an hour to figure it out (I’m not used to older models), and then downloaded a manual online for $8.  I found out it’s a Kenmore 158.18033 sewing machine from the 1950s, and at $20, I got it for a major steal.  It’s a favorite machine by many online and I can see why.  After nearly five decades, it still runs beautifully.  I used a straight stitch to hem 11 pairs of jeans and the zig-zag stitch to mend a tear in another.

Special stitches and details on machine and original case.

All my jeans fit perfectly now, and despite all that sewing, I’m dying to do more!  I’ve been looking around the apartment for anything that needs mending with no luck.   Hmm, maybe I’ll just make a blob.

All my jeans are now the perfect length for little ol' me!

If you feel like you’re overpaying in rent for your apartment or home, now might be the best time to ask for a rent reduction.

When we moved into our apartment over two years ago, the asking price for rent was on the high end of average for this area, the Hollywood neighborhood of Los Angeles .  However, since it was difficult to find a place that would take two large dogs, we signed on the dotted line.

Fast forward to 2009.

In this slumping economy, the average rent has gone down significantly in Los Angeles as more and more people move out of the city. After repeated online searches, I found many apartments in our area that not only were $200 - $300 cheaper, but most were now taking dogs! The straw that broke the camel’s back, however, was that I came across a listing for an identical apartment in my very own building that was $300 less than what I was paying! Oh no they didn’t!

I figured that I either had to move or ask for a rent reduction. Since the latter is much easier, I tried that first. With this month’s rent check, I included a letter asking for a reduction in my rent. I kept it professional and stated my reasons clearly: the economy is in a slump, rent is down in every building in this area, and even this very building was charging less for new tenants. I also stated that if a rent reduction wasn’t available, I would have to move and take advantage of all the other opportunities out there. As icing on the cake, I offered to sign a new 12-month lease. (I have been living lease-free for the past 15 months after my initial lease expired.)

I wasn’t 100% confident that my building’s management would give me the rent reduction, but the odds were in my favor.  If they didn’t agree to reduce my rent and I moved out, they would end up renting this apartment for what I was asking for anyway.  On top of that, they would lose money (time=money!) while the apartment got cleaned and painted over, not to mention the uncertainty of how long it might take to find new tenants.  I know for a fact that my building has been trying to fill that 1-bedroom for at least 6 weeks and counting.  Having me move out has no pros for them at all, yet agreeing to my rent reduction would assure a tenant for at least 12 months during a time when buildings are losing tenants in droves.

So on the first of this month, I delivered my letter along with my usual rent check.  Today, June 10th, I signed a renewed, 12-month lease for a new monthly rate that is $300 less! WOOHOO! I am so glad that I went ahead and asked for it and only wish that I had done it sooner.  For anyone in a similiar situation, do it!  You really have nothing to lose and a whole lot ($$) to gain!

Kathy Ireland Sorrento Dresser

Just got in with the dogs. I took them for a bonus walk down to the bank a couple blocks away.  I needed to get some cash from the ATM.  I’m hoping that I can convince the delivery driver tomorrow to bring my dresser up for an extra $20. The included delivery is only for curbside. If he declines, I have no idea how I’m going to bring a 189 lb dresser in from the sidewalk.

On the bright side, I got a great deal on the dresser!  One site had it on sale for $820, free shipping.  Another site had it for $449, again with free shipping.  But I ended up buying it from a different site, FurnitureBuzz, for only $154! How insane is that? Shipping was also free, which blows my mind. In tracking the shipment, I can see that it was loaded on to a plane in Georgia and arrived at LAX last night. I may not work in logistics, but I would think that it’s kinda expensive to ship a 189 lb item across the country.

Oh well, I’m sure they know what they’re doing.  I picked the Kathy Ireland Sorrento dresser mainly for the price.  I checked other dressers, including ones from Target and Overstock, but my god, for most of them the shipping cost was about 50% - 80% of the product cost!  I would have gotten a used dresser from Goodwill or Out of the Closet but I’d have a hard time getting it home without a car and all so I figured online shopping was the way to go, and I sure got lucky with this dresser!  Besides the price, I like the dark finish and the “faux marble” top which will give me a nice surface to set down my cups, bowls, etc. (Yes, I’m a slob.)

Anyway, I now have $20 to bribe the delivery guy tomorrow. I just hate the fact that there’s no definite timeframe and I’ll have to be home all day.  There’s also the AT&T technician that is supposed to come by and fix this no-dial-tone thing. He better not try to say there’s nothing wrong and then bill me $55 for the visit …. grrrr…. I will explode.

Alright, time for bed now. I hope tomorrow goes well.