OrganizingLA Blog

Luxury Storage Boxes for Your Precious Pumps

Sometimes we discover an organizing product so great we drop everything to tell you about it...

If you're looking for a higher-end shoe storage system with advanced "shoe-vue technology", drop what you're doing and get on over Brazilian designer's Gracienne website for her Clearly Glam shoe storage boxes.

Hollywood Variety's Stylephile profiled them today, which means the boxes are flying off the virtual shelves. It doesn't hurt that the designer's clients include Fergie, Jennifer Aniston, Paris Hilton and Demi Moore.  A quick inquiry to the Blast boutique in Beverly Hills was welcomed with a big question mark.  But they're sure calling Gracienne to inquire about the boxes.

Not a bad idea to have shoe stores carry storage systems for their customers. What do you think about it?  Stylephile says the boxes are made out recycled PET (Polyethylene terephthalate) and they're priced affordably at $9.95/each in packages of 12.  Lids are midnight black with a classic designer logo.

Is advanced "show-vue technology" something you're in the market for to store your Marc Jacobs?

Source:  Stylephile and Gracienne

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Hollywood Costumer needs storage bin labeling help

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HomeHero Fire Extinguishers - Save Your Stuff in Style

There's nothing like a fire to do your decluttering for you, without your permission and consent.

Take the HomeHero BC kitchen fire extinguisher for example. With this simple, stylish device, you can stop a simple kitchen fire from getting out of control and save your space.

We credit our client for telling us about this handsome knockout.  So on Friday, we headed down the hill to Sunset Boulevard and picked up six of them for the client at the local Home Depot. 

The design blogs have gone crazy-- and for good reason.  These units promote safety while remaining stylish.

• The unit sits stylishly on your kitchen counter.
• The stylish design keeps it visible for rapid accessibility.
• Design features ergonomic grip and one hand push button dispensing.
• Innovative wall-mount bracket (they call it a docking station) included and is U/L Listed.

Did you know there are two kinds of extinguishers?

1. ABC extinguishers - fights wood, paper and cloth fires, plus flammable liquid and electrical fires.
2. BC extinguishers - should only be used in kitchens because the chemical agent in ABC extinguishers may damage ovens and other kitchen surfaces. Good only for flammable liquids and electrical fires.

Listen, if you've ever had to use a fire extinguisher, let us know your tips.  Do you think this stylish design would blend so well in your decor that you may not find it during that moment of panic?

Organize Your Leis with Exotic Flair

Last week, we worked with a retired lifeguard in the South Bay.

He had just come back from Hawaii and it was great fun hearing some great stories about his trip and his life working on the beach.  Well, we love Hawaii, the colors, textures, sun, the relaxed decor and their passion for manana time (living life in absolutely no hurry.)  Although over time, manana time might drive us bananas.

These striking bamboo storage pieces reminds us of the Islands. They're new from Exposures.  We say "E ho'a'o no i pau kuhihewa!"

Tone-on-tone, these photo boxes, magazine files, art files and two-drawer CD boxes keep your office organized with exotic flair.  The camel top-stitching adds visual interest and the chocolate paper lining not only hides dirt, but provides archival quality.  Smartly enough, all the pieces come complete with silvertone label holders.

These might be just the thing to protect your valuable leis documents.  Aloha!

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• The elegant scrapbook storage table

O-Magazine Offers Organizing Tips and a Sweepstakes

If you're feeling lucky, Los Angeles organizing expert Chris McKenry can help you.

Chris is part of an advertisement in O-Magazine this month for Microsoft's HP Pavilion IQ 770 TouchSmart Computer.  Our colleague offers great tips for organizing your kitchen, home office, wardrobe, mail and time-- many of those tips includes ways you can incorporate technology into your daily life (like we continue to do) by using the TouchSmart.

The HP Pavilion IQ 770 TouchSmart Computer helps plan your family's schedule, manage events and leave personal messages – all at your fingertips, on a touch screen. 

Here's a sample Conquer Your Clutter tip we love:

"Another key to staying organized is keeping items where they are used. You normally don’t leave the milk, fish, and eggs sitting on the dining room table when returning home from the grocery after a difficult day. Think of the mail as perishable and keep those surfaces uncluttered. No matter how tired you are, get in the habit of placing the mail on your desk.

Record events in your TouchSmart calendar and recycle the invitations."

To read more of Chris' Get It Together LA! organizing tricks, check out this month's O magazine on newsstands now.  You can also read the online version and enter to win a variety of prizes (including a TouchSmart and a visit by a professional organizer), by clicking here.

Buckets and Bucket Shelving from Pottery Barn

Today, we discovered these terrific wall-mounted pails in the Pottery Barn Kids catalog.

The galvanized metal hides dirt, and withstands dragging or dropping (for the most part) making these ideal for kid's toy, art supplies and game storage.  We'd use them for Legos, Barbie dolls or beanie babies.  Comes in red, navy, light green or light pink.  What's so neat is that the buckets can be personalized with a name or message, up to 12 characters.

Can you see these buckets in another room in the house, besides the kid's room?  How would you use them?

Ditch the Floppies & Trade Up to USB

Topping our list of the 10 top items that clutter up the home office, are floppies.

How many of these do you have sitting around your home office, junk drawer or college memorabilia box?  If you're not using them, why not make a commitment to 'lose 'em?

A floppy disk is a storage device made of thin, flexible plastic.  Also known as "floppies," they are read and written by a floppy disk drive.  Well intentioned storage devices for your computer, their usefulness has now officially ended, mostly because they hold so little data.  They measure 3.5 inches square, yet only hold 1.44 Megs of data.  One single song on average is about 3 Megs.  Did you know that?

Devices such as USB are easier to carry around, faster, and more spacious than floppies.  Belkin makes a great 7-in-1 Retractable Cable Travel Pack we wrote about in a recent online article for Instinct Magazine (click here to check that article out.)  Just make sure you attempt to recycle the disks, to help in the fight against e-waste.  Earth 911 has information on recycling centers in your area (click here to find out more information.)

So why not transfer those old files now?  Ditch the floppies for something better, stronger, faster.

Hangers Direct Launches Closet Division

For the past week, my assistant and I have been organizing in La Canada Flintridge, a beautiful city just north of the hassle and bustle of Los Angeles.

We've met this wonderful woman named Bee who works at the deli counter at the local market.  Bee and her netted beehive hairdo have been celebrating their 27th year at the store.  Boy, does she give great customer service.  We've been leaving with a smile on our faces every visit. 

Also at the house in La Canada, we've been working in and out of several closets and thinking about space planning and accessories. We found out this week that Hanger's Direct, a supplier of closet hangers and accessories has announced plans to launch a closet division.

Hanger's Direct will soon be offering a variety of wood, metal and plastic products designed to cater and complement the many different colors and designs of today's custom and prefabricated closets.

This new venture with Hanger's Direct is encouraging because the company offers terrific service and a great product.  So we're excited to see what they'll unveil.  We think even Dee at the local market would be proud.

Photo courtesy of city of La Canada Flintridge

[5.17.07 - We have updated this post so there is no confusion as to who is starting this venture.  We apologize for any inconvenience! -- John]

Container Store Shutting Down North American Elfa Wholesale Business

The Container Store is in the process of, well, reorganizing.

The organizing superstore has made a surprise decision, based on sales figures, to shut down their Elfa wholesale business in North America.

This means that all 85 independent dealers in the United States and Canada -- from hardware and specialty stores to Web retailers, including The Great Indoors, a home-decor chain owned by Sears, will need to locate a new supplier for closet and office shelving.

The decision has some insiders saying that the Container Store may be cleaning up their financials in order to go public.  The company is denying that.

In related news, a Century City employee told us today that the annual Elfa sale is being extended 10 days because of a national mail-house delay.  Just in time to organize your Valentine's Day sweetheart.

• Source:  Dallas Business Journal
• Container Store website
• Elfa International website

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• Container Store Class Action Lawsuit
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Smead Introduces Antimicrobial Line of Office Products Amidst Earthquake

As a tiny (magnitude 2.7) but noticeable earthquake jiggled parts of the San Fernando Valley on Monday, Smead announced another earth-shattering move: a new line of anti-microbial office supply products.

The fresh must-haves may indeed shake your world, because they use patented technology to severely limit bacteria, mold, mildew and fungus growth on office goods.

Products include top tab and end tab file folders, end tab file jackets, pocket folders, expanding wallets and pocket portfolios.

Our sample arrived in the mailbox today along with the list of organizations that may need to control bacteria growth (including hospitals, dental offices, schools, food service, pharmacies, research labs, pharmaceutical companies, museums, archival organizations and long term health-care groups.)

Monica Ricci's blog has a thorough seismic evaluation of the products.  Make sure you check out her reader comments.

Buy These And Say Goodbye To Bread Clips

Unplug the fax, and the clock turns off.  Unplug the printer and the hard drive shuts down.

The solution sounds easy-- label the wires dummy.  But how?

Do you know how long we saved those plastic bread bag clips just because some lifestyle guru told us to?  And then the bag closures sat around in our tool kit for 2 years gathering dust until we ate enough bread to label our own office.  And then we never labeled anything.

Now, we guess that's our fault.  But who new we could never find a permanent pen with a sharp enough point to label those little suckers.  So, years of hunting and gathering went into the trash.

Well, those days are now gone because we've discovered these pre-printed ID labels for the legions of plug-in's around the crib.