I was gonna buy a new oven a few years ago, because the one in my apartment is tiny and electric. But since I was in the market for an air fryer, I got this Breville Air Fryer Toaster Oven combo. I have zero counter space, though (the kitchen in my studio is smaller than my bathroom at my sister’s house LOL), so I have to set it on top of my oven 😅
The first thing I made in it was a personal pizza.
The power turned off a few times in the 15 minutes it took to cook the pizza, and I had to flip the switch in the circuit breaker a couple times. It probably couldn’t handle the A/C and oven on at the same time, but I was like, ‘Come on… Don’t make me choose between A/C and pizza.’ 😅
Yes, that’s turkey pepperoni and yes, I know I need to calm down on the olives 😜
My dad isn’t handy at all, so I’ve always built my own furniture and put shit together myself.
One time, I got this Article Caliper Shelf delivered to my apartment in LA. It was huge! I had to piece it out in the lobby, because the box wouldn’t fit in the elevator and I live on the third floor. Several of my neighbors offered to help, but I declined them all. As much as I would’ve loved the assistance, I hate being mansplained even more 😅 Plus, I wanted them to just think of me as ‘the nice, quiet girl in 332’ and I’ve seen putting furniture together test too many relationships!
It was worth it in the end, though. It’s one of my favorite pieces in my studio.
Pammie got a stand-up desk while I was in Spain, so I couldn’t put it together for her. She said it took her five days. When Shi found out, she was like, “Dennis didn’t help you?!” Apparently, it’s Shi’s husband’s job to do that kind of shit. But my sister’s husband is even less handy than she is, if you can believe it. Even though I don’t need a man to build furniture for me, I can’t imagine being married to someone who isn’t good with their hands 😏
All that to say, my sister ordered new mattresses and they’ve been sitting in her living room for weeks. They’re those adjustable ones where each side can sit up or lie down, so she also bought new bed frames that are adjustable. She has to break down her old bed frame and mattress and remove it, so she can put the new bed in her room. They were gonna get rid of their old mattress, but decided to keep it and put it in the guest bedroom where I sleep. I currently sleep on the full bed that came with the house (my sister got the model home). My feet hang over the end of the bed and I can literally feel every spring in the mattress 🥴 My sister’s old bed is memory foam and king-sized, so all my sleep-related problems would be solved 😅
Pammie hired the community handyman to break down her old bed and set up her new one, but he got sick the day he was supposed to come, then she came back from Vegas with Covid when he was rescheduled to come, and now she and her husband are vacationing in Hawaii.
Partly because I wanted to do something nice for my sister, but mostly because I’m tired of sleeping on this god awful bed, I broke down her old bed frame, set it back up in the guest room, and set up her new bed up in her room.
This memory foam cali king is nice, but I miss sleeping in my own bed. I have a nice pillow top dream cloud mattress at home, and a bed frame the delivery guys from CB2 assembled in less than 10 minutes.
I also set up Pammie’s Ring Video Doorbell that’s been collecting dust in her closet for 2 years. I’m only the best sister there ever was 😌
I wanted it to be a surprise when she came back from Hawaii, but I didn’t know where she kept the Ring or where the tools were to disassemble the bed. I was like, ‘Do you know where the 3/16-inch short arm hex key is? Also, what is a short arm hex key?’ 😆
I’m babka tired now, though… The first and only time I made babka, it turned out sooo good. But I didn’t realize how time consuming it was going to be (the dough has to rest and rise twice!), so I didn’t start till 11 at night. I was up at 3 in the morning tired as fuck and near tears (just kidding—I was openly sobbing). So whenever I’m exhausted now, I just say I’m ‘babka’ tired and Pammie knows I’m not fucking around 😴
Anyway, I just doordashed a pizza, so I’m gonna eat it and sleep for a gabillion years ✌🏻
Donna’s son, Elijah, is a champion pole vaulter and is trying to qualify for the olympics in 2028. The Olympic Training Center is near my sister’s house, so he’ll be staying at my sister’s while he trains there for the next few weeks. He’ll be staying in my room at their house while he’s there, so I came over to clean it up a bit. “Isn’t the cleaning lady coming tomorrow?” my dad asked. “Duh. That’s why I’m cleaning.” I’m the kind of person who clips my talons and pumices my feet before getting a pedicure, I’m def gonna tidy up my room and bathroom before the cleaning lady comes. What am I, an animal? 🤪 I mean, I am a little bit, but Leticia doesn’t need to know that…
My sister is the most technologically challenged person I know (right behind my dad), and one time we were up at my apartment in LA for a doctor’s appointment, and my wifi wasn’t working, and she had like a million zoom meetings to attend that day. I’m like, “Just use your phone as a hotspot.” “What’s a hotspot?” she says. I showed her how to use her phone as a hotspot, and I’m like, “Welcome to the 21st century!” LOL
I have a wireless laser color printer in my room at my sister’s, and I’m at my parents’ house right now, so I asked her to print some pictures of my parents’ bathroom for their remodel. I was surprised she was able to figure it out on her own.
Another time, Shi was helping me with this wedding invitation order and she was using a corner punch to round all the corners. She was like, “All done!” I see a sharp, unrounded corner, and I’m like, “What’s this little guy?” We were at the cafe inside Borders, and we couldn’t stop laughing, we were so loud.
I went with my parents to a showroom this morning because they’re remodeling their bathroom and wanted my opinion on materials. My sister’s husband was like, “That’s what you get for being so stylish,” and my sister was like, “Notice they didn’t ask me to come.” 😅 My sister’s the kind of person who buys the model home so it’s already fully furnished and decorated, whereas I’m really particular about what goes in my studio, and it’s just a rental. I tried three mattresses before I settled on one. I once made my family drive me to the West Elm in Solana Beach because I just had to have this mid century nightstand, and they were the only location in SoCal that had it in stock. Every year, I say I’m gonna enter Apartment Therapy’s Small/Cool Contest (my apartment’s only 450 square feet!), but the contest always happens when I’m really busy at work. And every year, when they announce the grand prize winner, I’m always like, “My apartment’s cuter than that.” When I helped my sister paint her last condo, we went to Lowe’s and she picked a color within minutes. I was like, “Wait, don’t you want to look at all these paint chips (for a few more hours)?” She was like, “Game-time decision, Mayan!” And I’m like, “I don’t understand your sports references.” ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Anyway, since they made me get up butt crack early, I had them stop by Mcdonald’s for breakfast. I was waiting in the lobby for my food, and this old lady hobbles over to this other old lady with her cane and asks her how she’s doing and I thought she knew her, but she asked her name and told her she had a beautiful smile. Then the other lady asked her how she was doing, and she said, “I’m alive and able to walk on my own two feet. It’s a beautiful day!” And I cried into my vanilla iced coffee and drank my tears 😭
Don’t mind my emo ass, I think I’m getting my period 😅
Update: The red devil is, in fact, in my belly. I’d stay away from this hot mess express for the next 3-5 days.
When we stayed at The Plaza in NYC, I kept commenting on how good it smelled. I found out they sell their signature scent online, and I had to get it. Now it smells like The Plaza up in this bitch.
My parents have these shelves of knick knacks that they keep the phone chargers on, and as we were checking up on their house while they’re away on their cruise (not sure what we were checking for as they have an alarm system and cameras), I was staring at these little cups on the shelves. “B” & “S” for my parents, Ben & Shirley, “P” & “D” for my sister, Pammie and her husband, Dennis, and “M” & “R”… The “M” was for Marion, but what the hell was the “R” for? My sister saw me looking at them and was like, “R for Rocky!” Oh, duh. Of course my mom would get one for our beloved dog who died five years ago LOL.
My sister had a real Christmas tree last year, but didn’t want to deal with vacuuming all the needles and having to trash it afterwards again, so she got this artificial one.
She and her husband love the real tree smell, though, so I got some fraser fir fragrance oil for my scent diffuser, and now it smells like Christmas up in this bitch.
FYI if you didn’t already know, my sister is a Potterhead.
R.I.P. to my fiddle leaf fig bush. It’s in a self-watering pot, but you have to refill it with water once a month, and I haven’t been in my apartment since August 😅
My sister’s elevator has been broken since June. She already reported the elevator company to the Better Business Bureau, because they’ve canceled several appointments to fix it and keep making excuses. I’m like, “Where am I? My apartment in LA???” When I first moved into my building, the elevator was broken, and I live on the top floor. The building owner and landlord at the time assured me that the elevator was in the process of getting fixed. When my new neighbor saw the movers carrying stuff up the stairs to my apartment, he told me that the elevator had been broken for 10 months. Then, when I tried to take a shower after a long day of moving, I had no hot water! I had to shower in a vacant apartment on a different floor on the other side of the building for weeks until they fixed it. My old landlord was such a dick (yeah, I’m talking to you, Leonard!). My building has since been sold to a new owner, so I have a much nicer landlord now, the elevator works, I have hot water, and they even removed my popcorn ceiling and renovated my bathroom.
The only reason my sister bought a 4-story house was because it came with an elevator. She originally wanted a ranch-style, 1-story house with no stairs (she also said she’d never live below the 8), but here we are ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ I can see the prison from her private rooftop!
The good thing about the elevator being broken is it forces me to use the stairs. My onion booty has turned to an office ass over the years from working a desk job, and now it’s starting to shape up again 😅
I got this bloody bath mat partly because I almost slipped and broke my neck after my shower, but mostly because I’m morbid as hell. Should I get this shower curtain set to complete the look???
Yeah, I don’t know why I’m single, either ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
I just need to find someone I can be myself around 🤣
I’m up in LA for a doctor’s appointment, and I haven’t been home in over a month.
I should really give someone a key to my apartment, because all my plants are dead.
People think it’s silly that I kept my studio in LA (and continue to pay a ridiculous amount for it) since I haven’t lived there since January after the incident, but I like my independence (and walking around in my chonies.). I’d sublet my apartment, but my property manager lives across the hall, so he’d definitely know 😅
– my sister’s husband to me after I brought down my Aroma 360 diffuser and Cashmere Plum fragrance oil from my studio in LA for my room at their house in SD
I woke up to the sound of my fridge struggling this morning, and when I opened my freezer, everything was melted inside! R.I.P. to an embarrassing amount of ice cream, plus that lone pepperoni pizza hot pocket I was saving for later.
Update: It’s now Friday and I’m going on day 3 of not having a fridge. Luckily, Chel sent me this song of the day to cheer me up while I write my landlord another strongly worded email and cry into my room temperature bottled water 😭
Welp, it’s officially been two years since I started working from home for what was supposed to be a two-week stint! Since then, I’ve put in countless hours of overtime and started taking serotonin supplements if that’s any indication of how life is going so far 😅
Kicking off spooky season with some light reading…
Unsolicited fact about me:Beetlejuice is one of my favorite movies. It was one of the only VHS tapes my grandma had when I was a kid, so I’d watch it over and over again. My boss calls me ‘Morbid Marion’ and I think Lydia Deetz would be proud 🖤
Finally an office with a window! I could get used to working from home…
Now if I only had a bidet, a lifetime subscription to Freshly, and a peloton bike, I’d never have to leave my apartment! Just kidding (like I would ever use a peloton bike).
After my ceiling sprung several leaks, my landlord had our roof fixed and offered to remove that god awful popcorn ceiling. I even got him to remodel my bathroom and repaint my entire apartment while he was at it!
S/O to all those LA storms for making this home reno possible…
I’ve been off the grid for a few weeks while my place was getting renovated, but it was def worth the wait! Lots to catch up on (Shi’s wedding, Jessie’s birthday, and all the BBQ I ate in between), but first I gotta shower in my new tub and make my bracket picks…
It rained all weekend, so I stayed in and Marie Kondo’d the shit out of my apartment. 48 hours and 9 trash bags later, I have to admit, I feel a little joy (and a lot of exhaustion). Good thing I still have two mattresses to sleep on…
I bought Marie Kondo’s book three years ago. I never read it, and it just added to my clutter! The irony isn’t lost on me. She’s got that netflix show now, but I’m still going to keep it (The Lover’s Dictionary and Tacopedia can’t be the only two books I have in my apartment, guys).
I always say I’m going to re-gift this one day, but let’s be real.
Does Bed, Bath & Beyond take expired coupons from seven years ago? I’ll check on yahoo answers before tossing these. I’m sure someone has weighed in.
Anyone into small mexican things??? Yeah, me either LOL. Toss!
I found this massage gift certificate the girls gave me for my birthday nine years ago! I’m gonna need it after all this decluttering.
You guys, I have mattresses in every corner of my studio right now.
The memory foam mattress I bought last month is too firm, my old spring mattress is too soft, and the new hybrid mattress that got delivered today is just right!
I’m selling my memory foam mattress and giving away my old spring mattress. If anyone is interested, you should know that I live in a third floor walk-up. If you’re still interested, please hit me up on Let Go, Offer Up, or if you’re local, the Buy Nothing Redondo Beach (North) FB group. Get a mattress and earn a fitbit stair badge while you’re at it!
Me on day 4 after my ceiling sprung a massive leak:
Fortunately, it’s leaking above an area free of furniture, electronics, and my hand-tufted moroccan rug.
Unfortunately, it’s in the shape of a vagina and a literal stain on my apartment.
If anyone without a hole in their ceiling would like me to stay over tonight, you’ll be rewarded with good karma, leftover pizza from Valentino’s, and me without pants on.
Best gift ever! I finally set up this awesome projector Pammie got me for Christmas, and unlike Bird Box, it did not disappoint! Now if only I could get the last two hours of my life back…
After the most stressful day at work, I decided to chalk this day up as a loss and go straight to bed. When I got home, my new memory foam mattress was waiting outside my door! It was in a box so big, I had to bend time and space (and my back!) to get it into my apartment.
Now I’m just waiting for it to rise and get firm, so I can get on top of it and go to sleep with a smile on my face. What else is new…
I’ve been itching to build something new for my place, but I’m not sure what. My sister’s husband thinks I’m making myself too comfortable in this apartment I’ve been wanting to leave for five years, and it’ll be that much harder (for everyone else) when I eventually move out of the sticks. (You ask someone to help you move during one Chargers playoff game ten years ago, and they don’t ever let you forget it!)
Earlier this week, I reupholstered the leather cushions on my Roxy Rocker with this gorgeous Harris Tweed. According to Wikipedia, it was “handwoven by islanders at their homes in the Outer Hebrides of Scotland.” I bought it off eBay from some dude in the UK, so it must be legit.
Also, I did all this with a staple gun, and I didn’t even hurt myself! It only took that first staple barely missing my thigh for me to realize that the staples come out of the other end when you shoot it. Yikes.
I built this coffee table in an ongoing attempt to lower my Ikea to non-Ikea furniture ratio. Yes, this area rug is from Ikea, but The Great Pizza Box Fire of 2014 destroyed my non-Ikea rug, and I needed an affordable replacement! One step forward, two steps back…
This coffee table was built the same way I built my mid-century modern side table, but with a few modifications. I used pre-stain wood conditioner this time to prevent streaking and blotching. On a bigger job like this, you won’t be able to hide the ugly parts with succulents and a strategically placed Beyoncé print.
You can follow the same directions I used to build the side table. Just be sure to use these new measurements.
2 – 1″x12″-6′ common boards – 4 pieces that are cut 36″ long
(the top & bottom boards)
1 – 1″x4″-6′ common board – 2 pieces that are cut 22.5″ long
(the side boards)
Since I already had the gel stain and clear coat left over from building the side table, it only cost me $88 to make this coffee table! That’s cheaper than the Ikea rug it’s sitting on…
…or my neighbors after I almost burned down our apartment building this past weekend.
My lease is up and the only hot neighbor I had moved out this month, so I’m pretty sure the universe is telling me that it’s time to move out of the sticks, fellas.
I’m obsessed with all things Mid-Century modern, and when I saw this Co-Mod side table, I knew that I needed it in my life. But it was $345. And sold out. And $345. I felt like that needed to be mentioned twice.
Because I’ve mastered the art of assembling Ikea furniture (and tested many friendships along the way), I thought that I should try building this side table myself. I went to Home Depot, showed them a photo on my phone and was basically like, “HOW YOU DO DIS?” If you act like you don’t know what you’re doing (or you’re like me and you legitimately do not know what you’re doing), the good people at Home Depot will help you. They will tell you what paint brush you should use to apply clear coat. They will tell you what clear coat is. They will even cut your wood down to the exact size that you need at no extra charge.
1″x8″-10′ common board – 4 pieces that are cut 20″ long
(the top & bottom boards)
1″x6″-6′ common board – 2 pieces that are cut 14.5″ long
(the side boards)
DIRECTIONS:
Sand your boards. I used 150 grit sandpaper and sanded in the direction of the grain until it felt smooth. After your boards are sanded, wipe them down with a damp cloth to remove excess sawdust before staining them. This is probably something you should do outdoors in a well-ventilated area and not inside your 400 square foot studio during the only weekend it rains in Los Angeles. I still have sawdust in places I didn’t know I could get sawdust.
Stain your boards. Use gloves unless you want to have to keep explaining to everyone why your hands are brown for the next three days. You can use an old t-shirt, or if you’re a hoarder like me and can’t bear to part with your ‘I ♥ Haters’ shirt, you can get a pack of paint rags from Home Depot for $4 and use those instead. I used one to apply the stain to the wood and one to wipe off the excess. It dries pretty fast, so I was able to coat all sides without waiting. I only applied one coat, but you can apply more if you want it darker. Let the boards dry completely.
Apply clear coat. I applied it to one side of the boards using a synthetic paint brush. Give it a couple hours to dry, then turn your boards over and apply it to the other side.
Assemble your side table. Use two 20″ boards for the bottom, two 20″ boards for the top, and the remaining 14.5″ boards for the sides. Here’s a helpful diagram:
Nail the two top boards to the long edge of the side boards, and repeat on the bottom. Use two nails on each end of each board as pictured. I had someone hold the boards together for me while I hammered away.
Mount the legs. I set the legs 2″ from the edges and marked where the screws would go. I pre-drilled pilot holes and screwed the legs on with sixteen 3/4″ screws. Depending on what kind of legs you buy, you might have a different method for attaching them.
You can build your own Mid-Century modern inspired side table for roughly $78 (for just the wood and the hairpin legs, if you happen to have the other materials). You really can’t beat that price or the sense of accomplishment you’ll feel after building something with your bare, wood-stained hands.
Other things pictured:
Painted succulent pots designed by me (DIY tutorial here)
Task lamp from Target
Beyoncé print designed by me (sold on Etsy)
Bedding from Anthropologie
Bed from West Elm (discontinued!)
Sanding, staining and spray painting on this rainy Sunday. IDK why I thought these were things I could do inside my studio. Pretty sure I’m high right now.
I just need two more things to make this overpriced studio a home. Anyone know where I can get a good deal on a french bulldog and/or a couch in the south bay? I went furniture shopping this past weekend, and nothing seemed worth carrying up three flights of stairs or testing my friendships over.
Say goodbye to ugly white vertical blinds, and hello to wood blinds and linen curtains. And if you’re wondering if the drapes match the carpet, I’ve got hardwood floors. And so does my apartment! Ha.
I know this is just a rental, but I like to fill the void in my life with home decor.
