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Wednesday, March 24th
6pm
UPPER WEST  (3321 Pico Blvd. Santa Monica)
Complimentary Appetizers & Cocktails
RSVP to: aline@alinemedia.com

One of their specialty cocktails is a Cucumber Martini made with gin, cucumber, & mint. That alone should be enough for you to click on the RSVP link.

If you can’t make it to the party, you should check out their happy hour weekdays from 5pm-7pm for $4 wine, $6 specialty cocktails, and happy hour bar food!

My friend Amanda brought Northern Roots to my attention last week and I absolutely loved all the hand crafted jewelry on their page. The jewelry is hand-molded and hand-painted by a talented lady named Amy out in Texas. Amy is a stay at home mom who is passionate about crafts (and damn good at them!) and is inspired by  “nature and bohemian themes”.

Northern Roots features handmade earrings, bobby pins, rings, and necklaces that look like something you might find at Anthropologie – but for a fraction of the price! Most of the items are in the $10-$15 range and make excellent gifts! They also has an impressive 100% positive rating on Etsy, which means you can budget shop with confidence.

We encourage you to check out Northern Roots and keep them in mind next time you’re in the market for a lovely gift, or just feel like spoiling yourself without breaking the bank!

I'm renting "The September Issue". What are you renting?

Thank God I got lazy last night and decided against my original plan to go to RedBox. Now I can get my rental for free…

Here is your code for a free rental: RBXLUV4U
The code expires at 9:59PST (3/1/10)

Don’t forget that you can register yourself with Redbox through their website and receive free rental codes via text every first Monday of the month. I’m usually weary of giving out my number to companies but they are really good about not bothering you with annoying/unnecessary text messages!

I’d like to think we were way ahead of the game on this one. I mean, we posted about LA Works (our fave local volunteer org) last April! Not everyone can afford to write big checks  to charities, so why not give your time and energy to working with organizations that need help?

There is no better time to jump on the volunteering bandwagon than now! And there’s no better place to start than the City Labs Community Service Fair this Saturday. The fair will help you connect with 50 local non-profits who need your help! With so many organizations in one place, you’re sure to find something that suits your interests and abilities. There will also be a DJ, raffles, and a handful of fun workshops throughout the afternoon.

The fair will take place Saturday, January 23rd from 11am-4pm at the California Market Center. There is a $5 suggested donation at the door, but that gets you a free drink ticket and a raffle ticket! You can get more info. by checking out the Yelp page for this event.

I don’t consider myself to be a die-hard frugalista, but of course I do like a good bargain, especially when I don’t have too work hard to get it. Below are some easy resources that I use in my quest for good deals in this overpriced la la land… Read Full Article

To get this amazing deal, create your 4×8 photo cards with SeeHere and use the following promo code at checkout: freebies4mom-1109
Have more questions? Read Heather’s FAQ page for this freebie.

It’s almost Halloween.  Time to search for the perfect costume.  You walk into the Halloween store downtown and start looking at different things.  Only one problem.  The cheapest costume you can find is $50.  The costume you want is $75.  Your credit cards are maxed out, your wallet only has a $10 bill.  How can you get a good costume without breaking the bank?

After researching some cheap costume possibilities, I learned the basic rule to making a great, inexpensive costume is to use what you have, and accessorize.

Here are 10 easy ideas for costumes that you can probably make with things just lying around:

1. MUMMY
Got an old sheet?  Cut it up into strips, wrap it around your body and go as a Mummy.

2. GHOST
Don’t want to go as a mummy? Use that sheet to make a ghost costume.  Cut out eye holes.  Spice it up a little bit and use a black sharpie to draw chains and cobwebs on the sheet.

3. HOBO
Got old clothing that’s too big for you?  Wear it, put some scuffs on your face.  You’ll make an excellent Hobo.

4. NERD
How about clothing that’s too small?  Go as a nerd.  Wear a too tight buttoned down shirt and tight jeans.  Slick your hair back.  Find some old glasses and put masking tape around the middle.  Carry around a large book.

5. ZOMBIE ATHLETE
Do you have any type of sports jersey?  Football, basketball, hockey, soccer, cheerleader?  Wear it and put on some zombie make-up.  Nothing is cooler than a zombie sports player.

6. PIRATE COSTUME
You have some old pants?  Cut them off at the knee.  Get a white button down shirt, and wear it with the top buttons unbuttoned.  Grab a bandana and an eye patch – Arrrggg, you’re a pirate.

7. ROBOT / TINMAN
Have a large roll of aluminum foil and some duct tape?  Wrap it around you.  For a robot, you can grab a large box that fits around your stomach and wrap that in foil too.  For the tin man, get an upside down funnel (also in foil) and wear it as a hat. Use tape whenever needed to hold foil together.  Paint your face silver.

8. BEDTIME SLEEPER
Wear your pajamas.  Carry a stuffed animal, pillow, and a bedtime story.  Girls with long hair should wear pigtails.  Yawn as often as possible.

9. SPICE RACK
Grab a large bra and wear it over your clothes.  Stuff spices in it.

10. BUTTERFLY
Have some black or brown clothes?  Leggings will work well with a turtleneck. Create antennae with pipe cleaners and Styrofoam balls. Make wings out of poster board and decorate with bright colors.

99 CENT STORE FINDINGS:
The 99 Cent store has witch hats, cowboy hats, cat ears and tail, and devil horns and tail.  Wear an old black shirt with the witch hat, black shirt and pants for the cat ears, and red clothes to match with the devil.  Don’t have red clothes?  Wear a blue dress instead and go as “Devil in the Blue Dress.”

They also have a nice selection of face paints, fake blood, etc. to spice any costume up!

TRIFT STORE IDEAS:
There are also many other costumes you can put together for cheap.  Go to your local thrift store and see what you can find.  Here are a few ideas to get your started:

1. Find some 70s or 80s clothing and go as someone from that decade.
2. You know those polka dotted dresses your grandmother wears?  Or what about those ugly brown sweaters Grandpa always has on?  Buy them!  Slip them on and put white power in your hair.  Your grandparents would be so proud.
3. Change your style!  Go Goth!  Get a dress and high heals – be a rich person!
4. Angelina Jolie is always an easy costume. All you need is a black dress, sunglasses, toy dolls (preferably different skin tones) and some yarn. Attach babies to dress using yarn. Or you know, just hold them all.

There are endless possibilities at a thrift store.  Get creative.  Go and see what you can find!
If you have other cheap costume suggestions, share it with the rest of us by leaving a comment…

Want to be like Amy write a guest post for LA Decostified? Contact us with your ideas!

ArtRide Pasadena

Saturday
Halloween Swap-O-Rama Rama: The Venice center for Peace and Justice is holding a clothing & costume swap this Saturday from 12-5pm! Rummage through other people’s old good and maybe you’ll find yourself a pretty awesome costume for Halloween. They will also have design stations featuring spooky silk screening, trick or treat bags, felting, and finger puppets! Thanks to Caroline for this great find.
Cost: $5 w/ bag of unwanted clothese, $10 without donation

Taste of Dance: Lots of mini-classes, only $1 a lesson. Great opportunity to try some new styles without investing in a full-on course. Make sure to get there at 10:30am to get your tickets before the classes fill up!
Cost: $1/class

Street Food Cooking Class: Here’s your chance to learn how to cook up your own Kogi BBQ tacos! Join chef Minnie Luong to learn the secrets to cooking “street food” in your own kitchen! The class is only an hour long and it’s free, so I don’t think it will be too hands on but you can definitely expect to learn some great pointers and tricks of the street food trade.
Cost: FREE

Sunday
Pumpkin Giveaway: They’re giving away over 4,000 pounds of pumpkins on Sunday, so it’d really be a shame if you were the only person in LA to miss out on getting one. If there was a “must go” stamp, I’d stamp this event with it! That last line is possibly dorkiest thing I’ve ever written on this blog.
Cost: FREE

Ghostbusters Screening: Pack some blankets and a bottle of wine for this Hollywood Forever Cemetery screening for charity!
Cost: 5 cans of food

Today’s Groupon offers a 2-Hour Improv Class at the famous Second City Training Center for only $10! The class is a $50 value, and is guaranteed to be a great way to spend your evening! Even if you never pictured yourself taking an improv class…for $10, why not?

Remember, you have to make your purchase by midnight today (10/7)  to take advantage of this Groupon!