OrganizingLA Blog

A Georgeous Garden Tool Organizer to Help Your "Budding" Business

A friend of mine is designing a small shed that will serve as a location for potting and gardening supplies.

While the idea of a "potting shed" is very chic, the reality may be very different.  A lot of stuff will be stored and a whole lotta activity will be taking place, in a small quarters.  That's why it pays to be organized.

The sunny and warm weather in LA takes a toll on your time.  The calendar really never slows down; some sort of planting takes place all year long.  Since organic gardening is becoming uber chic all over again, Angeleans are getting back to basics, and doing it themselves (or of course, getting someone else to do it, and claiming they do it all themselves.)

Rakes, brooms, spades, hoes, pruners, shears, gloves, weeders, saws, seed packets, and loopers all have to get stored in their new shed.  Not to mention the D handles, fiberglass handles, hollow and solid back shovels.  And with Memorial Day coming this weekend, my friend needs fast solutions so they can finish building and start their "budding business."  Well, lying in bed last night, I was looking through some spring catalogs and found this gorgeous garden tool organizer I had to share with all my friends.

This thing is built for efficiency.  The organizer allows you to roll to your work area so you won't have to drag everything back and forth, which really puts a toll on your back.  I love the industrial non-marking wheels and casters.  The canvas rack has built-in pockets for all the small stuff you'll need and the smart center grid holds up to 23 long-handled tools you want.

When my friend's new potting shed is done, I am sure I'll be seeing a neat combination of old and new; shiny stainless steel tools mixed with old fashioned forged pieces.  I may even get the privilege of helping to find a place for all the toys.  I can't wait!

• Buy it:  Frontgate's Rolling Garden Tool Organizer

How To List Your Garage in the National Register of Historic Places

Hewlett-Packard, the printing, personal computing, software, services and IT infrastructure provider announced this week that their famed Palo Alto, CA garage and house has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places by the National Park Service.

So what are you dreaming up in your garage?

The Hewlett-Packard Company was founded in 1939, a year after Bill Hewlett and Dave Packard opened their company, in their garage located at 367 Addison Avenue in Silicone Valley.  Within a year, the dynamic duo had to move shop, they outgrew the space. Recently, the garage (and home) went through an extensive renovation to prepare the site for this honor.

Crazy for us to say this, but perhaps their wives were more interested in actually using their quaint Craftsman-style garage for its intended purpose?  Share your thoughts, please.

Source:  HP

"Woodstock Wonderland" on Saturday - We'll be There

We're participating in a fundraiser this Satuday, for a local school.

Regardless of some critics, there still are terrific schools spread around Los Angeles.  To make ends meet, these schools hold fundraisers every now and then to help pay for the librarian, physical education and music teachers, field trips, books art supplies and office equipment.

In the hills above Laurel Canyon (near our office) is Wonderland Avenue Elementary School.  The school's Gifted Magnet program attracts students from all over the city, with over 440 in attendance each day.

Saturday's Woodstock Wonderland-event, to benefit Wonderland School, will be held at CBS Radford in Studio City.  CBS Radford has hosted such television shows as Gunsmoke, The Mary Tyler Moore Show, My Three Sons, Gilligan's Island, The Bob Newhart Show, Seinfeld and most recently, Big Brother.  We're donating a gift certificate valid for an entire day of office organizing, staff, and supplies.  And we hope to attend, too!  The event will take place in typical LA-fashion, inside a sound stage and alongside their famed New York Street.  The studio is not open to public tours, so it's fun to get a glimpse of manufactured reality.

Let's hope it's warm in the Valley that night, we'll wear our seersucker!

• Buy tickets @ $80 for Woodstock Wonderland Silent and Live Auction
• Visit the Wonderland Elementary School website
• See some of the items up for auction.

Related Posts:

• OrganizingLA donates to Covenant House event at Beverly Hilton
• Ronald McDonald House Fries and Wine Event
• OrganizingLA joins in to organize Local LA Charity

When is Old-Fashioned Better Than New, Bright and Shiny?

Even though my mother lives in New Jersey, I still enjoyed a Mother's Day brunch of sorts, at Betty and Denise's restaurant, Grub Hollywood.

Afterward, I lounged by the pool and checked out an old Saveur magazine, and ran across the magazine's top picks from 2006.  And while the issue may seem outdated, an article about carbon-steel knives still rings true today.

Professional chefs (and I assume Betty and Denise) swear by carbon-steel knives, but the knives require more maintenance than stainless-steel.  I guess it depends on your personal preference.  Carbon-steel knives have to be washed and fully dried after use.  The knife components develop a dark patina over time.  Some find this patina charming, some say they become downright rusted and ugly.

Here's what Saveur says:

"Yes, stainless-steel blades are bright and shiny, but we prefer old-fashioned carbon-steel knives, which are easier to sharpen and take on patinated character with use.  As the carbon-steel alloy ages, its variegated black and gray blemishes mellow into a soft burnish.  Whether found well-broken in at rummage sales or newly forged from manufacturers like Sabatier, these sharp beauties get us all worked up about slicing and dicing."

So Saveur calls them a true cook's find, a "knife with soul."  It got me thinking about how "new-looking" is not always the best in the long run-- and that's not always the thinking here in Hollywood.

Functional may sometimes be better than the way something looks-- and maybe more than "sometimes."  This rings true with knives, as it does with being organized.  There are times, too, when a magazine doesn't have to approve of a trend for us to have enjoyed it anyway-- or the way we enjoy it.

Any cooks want to chime in?

How to Organize Your Daily Water Intake With HydraCoach

"If this dam breaks, there won't be anything left between here and Wilshire Boulevard left to burn."

Such is the line from the 1974 Irwin Allen disaster epic Earthquake, about a catastrophic earthquake and eventual razing of Los Angeles.  Water wasn't really an issue in the movie, the Hollywood Reservoir played a key component to its demise when it burst flooding the entire city below.  Move to ground "north of Franklyn, and east of La Brea!"

So where are YOU standing with your personal water intake, on a daily basis?  Maintaining proper hydration is really important, regardless of rumors.  Do you let your dam burst before you get the clue to drink?  This company called Sportline has recently developed the HydraCoach Intelligent Water Bottle-- and we'd like to share it with you.

It's about time!

The monitor automatically measures and provides feedback on fluid consumption, for the everyday person, professional athlete or someone on a weight-loss program.  So why have your husband or wife nag you about not drinking enough water?  You now have an interactive coach in your fist.

Fun features include a personal hydration calculator, drink monitor, time tracker and (we love this) a sip tracker (sip tracker?)

So readers, how do you organize your water consumption?  How has it changed over the years, with differing activities and jobs?  Is drinking enough water easier when you have a desk job versus a job where you're on your feet all day long?

Source:  RealTALK LA

• HydraCoach Intelligent Water Bottle

Professional Organizer Scribes Fiction Novel

Here's an intriguing concept-- what would you do?

Your self-righteous sister promises to pay you $100,000 if you can get, and stay, organized.  Tough task?  Impossible?  Add to this a mysterious and wealthy drop-dead handsome visitor next door and you have a new series of novels.

Such is the story line in Patience and the Porsche, written by Cleveland, Ohio veteran organizing expert Valentina Sgro.  Anyone who knows Val knows she is the most charming and funny person.  We were able to spend some time with her at the recent NAPO Minneapolis conference which was a real treat.  Val is not very tall, but she's just endearingly happy to be around.  Who knew that such murder, mystery and mayhem was hidden inside that mind?

Patience and the Porsche, starring fictitious "organizer" Patience Oaktree, is set for release on June 15, 2007.  Audio clips of Val reading the book can be found here.