OrganizingLA Blog

A Beautiful Summertime Home Makes You Want to Keep It That Way

The Fourth of July in Los Angeles brings images of outdoor activities; a Santa Monica Beach bash, a Griffith Park picnic, even a box seat for the spectacular Hollywood Bowl fireworks.

But just because summer activities take place outside your house doesn't mean the inside of your 'mans should be neglected.  So how do you keep your house in-shape when summertime friends and family come home to crash?

Vicki Norris, a professional organizing colleague from Portland believes that the key to controlling summertime clutter is to prioritize your home organizational projects.  She says you need to proclaim the key activities each room will serve.  Vicki's secret weapon?  Personalize and beautify your home, creating a personal, warm and inviting atmosphere.  This in turn will only encourage you to keep it together.

"...focus on public spaces in [your] home (like) the entryway, the kitchen and the family room. These are the first areas company is likely to see, but [these spaces] also tend to be thoroughfares and command centers that receive the most littering inside the house. To get these spaces organized, you first have to determine their purpose. You look at your natural habits when organizing to help you determine the right systems to put in place."

And now comes Vicki's secret weapon?

"The number one question I get from clients once they get organized is how do they maintain it? Beautifying your space, refining it and personalizing it helps you claim that space."

This all sounds easy enough.  Do you think you can put down that beach Frisbee and free yourself from some unwanted stuff?

Read:

• Hosting Guests on the Fly, by Denver Post staff writer Sheba R. Wheeler

New York Times Predicts the Longevity of Organize Magazine

Today's New York Times has a complete run-down of the brand-new Organize Magazine, including origins, pricing and potential selling capability.

Did you know that 60% of new independent magazines fail within the first year and 16% to 18% survive four years?  We didn't.  The odds are made all more real because more than 90% of all new magazines are independently published.

What's particularly interesting is the amount of research the author did for the piece, interviewing advertisers, consultants, industry experts and even the publisher herself, Joyce Dorny (pictured above).

What's the consensus?  If Organize wants to follow in the footsteps of niche magazines like Ready Made, they have to continue to appeal to their female demographic, and develop brand extensions, which could include a web site, books and products.  Dare we say they should start an organizing blog?  No offers have been made to purchase the "OrganizingLA Blog."

Today, our issue of Organize arrived at the post office.  I glanced over the magazine in the car, noting the nice feel, and simple graphics.  I took my copy to the monthly Los Angeles chapter meeting for NAPO where I proudly held it up during my President's welcome speech, and encouraged the membership in attendance to support the magazine.  The group loved the premiere issue; however, two organizers approached me at the end of the meeting to let me know the typeface design was difficult to read.  I said I would pass the comments along to the top brass.

I think changes can be made, but the opportunities Organize Magazine has in it's very organized bag of tricks may surprise the critics.  I say, bravo!

Image courtesy Metro West Daily News

Read:

• The Forces of Neatness Hope to Find a Niche by Jane L. Levere, NY Times.

Related Post:

• Organize Magazine to debut June 15th.

How To Organize Comic Books

This weekend, a friend finally sold almost 100 comic books he'd been holding onto for years and years and years.

We can't remember how he acquired them.  He's not a true lover of the genre, and we know he attempted to list them on eBay and Craigslist but had no significant offers.  He finally gave them away sold them this past Saturday at a neighborhood Garage Sale, for the mega price of $100.  Closure is more important than the cash gained, right?

The world of comic book collections is mostly unknown to us-- we simply can't know everything about collectible values or storage of them.  But we're always open to learning.  Because we live and work in Hollywood, we're fortunate to run into (male) clients who are addicted to their comic book collections, mostly through their work in the special effects and animation industry in Santa Monica, Burbank and Culver City.

One of our friends sent us this link to an article from Travis Pullen's Comic Fodder, an addictive blog dedicated to sci-fi and comic book news, reviews, commentary and creator interviews.  Travis has written an INCREDIBLE article on his amusing adventure on organizing his own vast collection of the magazines.  If you're looking for storage ideas for your comic books, you have to read it.

Check out Comic Fodders's view on comic storage:

• Wooden comic book cabinets with drawers, are they worth it?.
• An interesting new adventure with a product called Drawerbox.
• Why it's important to NOT store your comic books against a wall.
• How to load your drawers properly to avoid an accident.

He also answers such mysteries as:

• Should you organize by titles?
• Should you organize in alpha order?
• What to do with mini-series.

Check out How do I organize my comics?

Image courtesy Conservation Resources.

Rocky Delgadillo's Wife Claims Disorganization in a Post-Paris Hilton LA Story

Could your household disorganization lead to headlines in your local paper?  In Los Angeles, the results could be catastrophic.  Particularly if you are the wife of the city attorney.

The Los Angeles City Attorney is in hot water.  Not because of Paris Hilton, but because of his wife's self-described disorganization.  But is this problem all too common in busy homes with overwhelmed mothers?

LA City Attorney Rocky Delgadillo has been fighting for years to make sure Hollywood celebrities do not get preferential treatment through the court system, particularly in DUI cases and probation violation.  This is the reason Delgadillo condemned Paris Hilton's early release and fought to get her placed back into custody to serve out her sentence.

But apparently there has been special treatment for the city attorney, his children and his wife-- and some dirty laundry has surfaced with a Mulholland Drive-style twisting tale that speaks of entitlement and disorganization.

Reports say that city staffers babysat the city attorney's children.  Delgadillos's wife has driven around Los Angeles on a suspended license, in an unregistered and uninsured car, with her children inside.  Mrs. Delgadillo borrowed her husband's city vehicle, actually having an auto accident in 2004 that the city paid the damages for.  The couple has been chronically late in paying over 5 parking tickets in the last three years.  There is even a bench warrant out for Mrs. Delgadillo's arrest for a similar situation from the 1990s that she went to court about this week.

Is all this the tale of a wife overwhelmed with household responsibilities, a large home, a public official husband and two small children?

Here's what Mrs. Delgadillo said to reporter Miriam Hernandez on KABC-TV yesterday as various reports were surfacing from the past:

"All I can say is I was disorganized. I was. There's no excuse for it. ... but I'm not going to make excuses for myself. I wouldn't want my kids [to make these kinds of mistakes], and I can't do it. And you're right, I have to be more organized. There's no doubt about it. I do. There's no excuse for it. I made a mistake -- a big one. And as an adult, it's really embarrassing for me. I'm going to do my best."

"I have to say this is not an issue of entitlement. I was disorganized. These are my mistakes. I have to take responsibility for them. I think that the moment I became aware of it, I took care of it as quickly as I could. This is not an issue of entitlement. It's my disorganization."

How would YOU advise Mrs. Delgadillo?

Photo courtesy of flickr.

Testimonial - Palos Verdes Relocation Project

We've pretty much completed a large relocation in the Palos Verdes area of Southern California, a newly built 14,000 square foot home.

An organizing colleague asked us to be part of her team, but her actual attendance was impossible due to another obligation. All the more important that she brought the right people onto the job, folks that would work well together.  We were in charge of unpacking, beautifying and organizing various areas of the home, including the butler's pantry, gentleman's closet, sweater closet, golf supplies, bathrooms, a breakfast room, parts of the three-car garage, and a holiday storage room.

Now that the job is complete, here's a note the lead organizer sent to me this morning:

"Thank you again for your professional and energetic commitment to making the [name omitted] relocation project a HUGE success. As you know, [name omitted] were delighted (and blown away) by everyone's contribution. I look forward to seeing the [name omitted] home now that all the furnishings are in place, and of course, to witness first hand all the great organizing [name omitted] has been bragging and raving about.

As I sit here typing this memo, I am struck by the thought that I am a bit sad not to have been able to work on this project with each of you.

I always enjoy the energetic buzz that a project like this ignites when a group of self-starting and creative organizers pull together, for the common good, to bring order (and beauty) to any given situation.

[Names omitted] are pleased, delighted and grateful. So am I.

One of Mrs. [name omitted] final comments to me was that we are definitely a group of "true professionals."  Thank you again for your integrity and professionalism in making this project a complete success and for representing yourselves, my company and our industry in such a positive light."

Picture above, where Hawthorne Blvd. dead-ends into Palos Verdes Drive West, courtesy Flickr

"Sex in the City" Meets "Century City" At the Container Store

What "A-list" star was caught shopping at the Container Store in Century City last evening earning credits towards an "A" in organization?

Read about it after the jump.