OrganizingLA Blog

Sherri Shepherd of "The View" to Host Third Annual Los Angeles Organizing Awards

 

The 2008 Los Angeles Organizing Awards will honor the people, products and services that make L.A. neater and more productive.

Los Angeles, CA (PRWEB) November 6, 2007 -- Sherri Shepherd, co-host of ABC-TV's "The View," will host the Third Annual Los Angeles Organizing Awards, presented by the Los Angeles Chapter of the National Association of Professional Organizers (NAPO-LA). The Awards honor the best in the organizing industry, including professional organizers who set the standard for home and business productivity, and products and services that help consumers and businesses organize everything, including information, as well as manage their time and control habits that can lead to clutter and chaos.

Shepherd, also an actress ("Less than Perfect," ABC, "Everybody Loves Raymond," CBS, "30 Rock," NBC, "Beauty Shop," MGM Studios) and comedienne, will preside at the February 1, 2008 event to be held at the Luxe Hotel Bel Air, CA. Shepherd has used the services of a professional organizer and will speak about her experience.

"You can't be too famous or too organized in Los Angeles," said John Trosko, NAPO-LA President. "In fact, running a successful household or business requires supreme organization. Members of our profession are at the forefront in helping people and companies overcome their organizing challenges and become more efficient and productive. The Awards celebrate the profession and enable the public to learn, firsthand, about the most effective organizing strategies, products and services available."

NAPO-LA Vice President Jodie Watson added, "We love a good label-maker, but at the end of the day the organizing profession is about improving people's lives so they can operate their homes and businesses more efficiently, be more productive, be more comfortable managing their own possessions, papers and information, and develop habits and techniques to ensure the benefits of better organization are long-lasting."

Public Voting Now Open:
Voting for the 2008 Los Angeles Organizing Awards is open to the public. Votes may be cast at NAPO-LA now through December 31, 2007. Award recipients will be announced at the dinner event, also open to the public. The Awards are a celebration and culmination of national "Get Organized Month," to be held in January.

Award Categories:
The Los Angeles Organizing Awards features more than 15 categories, including:

• Best Organizing Product Retailer (retail store, online store, catalog)
• Best Closet Design Company
• Best Garage Design Company
• The Green Award: Most Ecofriendly Organizing Product/Service
• Best Office Organizing Product (manufacturer/product name)
• Best Home Organizing Product(manufacturer/product name)
• Most Helpful Organizing Technology (product or software that best helps you/your clients stay organized)
• Best National Organizing Show
• Best Organizing Book (title, author)
• Best Organizing Magazine
• Best Organizing Website or Blog
• Most Valuable Educational Resource (class, workshop, or resource that contributed most to your education about organizing)

NAPO-LA also honors several of its members with special chapter awards. The Volunteer of the Year Award is presented to the chapter member with an exemplary record of service. The Leading Edge Award recognizes a NAPO-LA member whose actions and efforts elevate the quality or profile of professional organizers.

Corporate Sponsorships Available and Tickets on Sale Now:
Sponsorships and tickets for the event are now available online.

Video Submissions:
Professional organizers and NAPO chapters from across the country are invited to submit videos highlighting their efforts to help clients in the past year. Selected video highlights will be shown at the event, and attendees may hear live testimonials from people whose homes or businesses were transformed by professional organizers. (Instructions for submitting videos for consideration are online.)

About NAPO-Los Angeles:
The National Association of Professional Organizers, The Organizing Authority® is dedicated to developing, leading and promoting professional organizers and the benefits of better home and business organization. The nonprofit group, founded in 1985 by five Los Angeles-based organizers, has grown to over 4,000 members throughout the world, including speakers, trainers, authors, retailers and manufacturers of organizing products.

Over 125 NAPO-LA members serve clients in the Southern California region, from Santa Barbara to Santa Monica to Newport Beach, and from Beverly Hills to Pasadena to Claremont. Services include home and business organizing, information and time management, and coaching and training.

Contact:
John Trosko, Chapter President
NAPO-Los Angeles
10573 West Pico Boulevard, # 134
Los Angeles, CA 90064
Telephone: 323-512-7039
Website: http://www.napola.org

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• View the PR Web press release by clicking here.

Interior Designer Thinks Americans Need Less Storage Than 18th Century France

While leaving the Elle Decor Barclay Butera event last week, I snagged a free copy of the magazine.

There's a great article on a piece of furniture called a "semainer.  We've obviously all used one, but we personally did not know it's history.  We also didn't know that one Interior Designer says a popular women's undergarment has single-handedly reduced our storage needs, and thus our desire for this hefty piece of storage furniture.

"Before there was day-of-the-week underwear, there was the semainier.  Popularized in 18th-century France, these seven-drawer dressers (the name comes from the French word for week, semaine) were intended to separate the copious personal linens of the time into Monday-through-Sunday supplies.

Take note, however:  The form has outlived the function.  "Gone are the days of bustiers and corsets," says New Jersey-based designers Jennifer Watty with a laugh.  "This is the age of the thong.  Who needs seven drawers for their underwear?"

Who is Ms. Watty kidding?  We need more storage here in America (and in Los Angeles) and not less storage.  Do you agree?

• See the Elle Decor slideshow with a professional's commentary

Jerry Seinfeld Believes Everything You Own Is Pre-Garbage

Jerry Seinfeld has come out of hiving with Bee Movie.  So are his thoughts on his marriage to Jessica, family life and household clutter.

 

"You're home is a garbage processing center where new things are purchased and slowly demoted through various stages of trashification until you're done.

 

Starts out:  you bring it home. Put it on the kitchen table.  You read the instructions, you tell everyone in the house about it.  And then some time goes by and you realize you're not going to be so keen on drying out fruit and storing it in your basement (as you thought you were going to be.)  So therefore the object is demoted to the closet where it lands on the floor.  You start stepping on it to reach newer things that are just beginning on their journey to junk."

 

 

Click on the YouTube screen image above to see more of Jerry's stand-up on Conan O'Brien.  His thoughts on what he keeps vs. what his wife keeps are awesome.

 

UPDATE: 3/15 - We've updated the video link for a recent (and available) Seinfeld stand-up on the Tonight Show With Jimmy Fallon.

 

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Your Turn to Comment

 

Does this scenario sound faintly familiar?  Let us know here in the comment section or you can tweet us @johntrosko on Twitter. You can also check me out on Instagram (@johntrosko).

 

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How to Recycle Your Household Electronics

 

It is estimated that nearly 65 million computers will be retired in 2007.

Whole Foods is currently teaming with E-cycle Environmental to safely and environmentally recycle your obsolete electronics.

If you're in West Hollywood, visit the temporary recycling station this Saturday, November 10th (9am - 2pm) at the Whole Foods location on Santa Monica Boulevard at Fairfax.  We plan on stopping by to recycle some dead mobile phones.

If you're not in La-la land, check your local Whole Foods website or Google "Whole Foods E-cycle Environmental" for a list in your area.  We found additional dates in Campbell (San Jose), CA and Monterey.  The Washington, DC markets are teaming with another vendor.

E-cycle Environmental mechanically shreds all electronics and recycles the materials domestically.  What do they accept?

• TVs
• Computer monitors
• Computer systems and components
• Copy and fax machines
• Scanners
• Printers
• Cell phones and telephones
• CD and DVD players
• Stereo equipment
• Batteries
• Wiring and electrical cords

Barclay Butera Anniversary Event Raises $31,000

 

Last Tuesday after working all day lugging boxes and preparing for a relocation from Redondo Beach to Orange County, we got home and remembered an event beckoned...

Do you ever have this dread when the couch has your name all over it?  And just the sight of the couch makes you want to forget about the world?  Well, last Tuesday, we ignored the couch and dragged ourselves to a wonderful event at Barclay Butera on La Brea.  So much fun.  So glad we went.

Elle Decor sponsored the cocktail reception.  Morganne (pictured below, right) performed.  Butera (pictured below, left) announced a recent eBay auction of his personally redesigned Airstream trailer, with all the proceeds going toward the Children's Action Network.  Oh, and we became acquainted with my new bff Pom and Vodka...

Barclay Butera's Los Angeles store on La Brea Avenue consists of furniture and (organizing) accessories in the transitional style.  Barclay combines late British Colonial Empire with French Country, Far East, and American traditional influences, and blending furniture and pattern-on-pattern fabric designs in warm colors.  Think Ralph Lauren (and from what party guests told us) with higher quality and lower prices-- emphasizing clean, classic, tailored lines and fabrics.

The event drew over 450 from the fashion, entertainment and design arenas.  In attendance were Actress Kim Delaney, T-Rio, triplet pop stars from Brazil, currently in Los Angeles to record; model/actress Lorielle New (ELLE Belgium, “Up Close and Personal”); actress Cassandra Hepburn (“Hellride,” “Find Me Guilty”); FashionLA publisher Roger Muse; Luxury Lifestyle co-founder Amanda McConnell; Ron Valdez, owner of the prestigious Hamilton-Selway Fine Art gallery; and James Panozza of Lawrence Asher Gallery.

Butera donated $31,000 to Children’s Action Network (C.A.N.) for their continued work with foster care in the U.S. while he celebrated the 4th anniversary of the designer’s Los Angeles showroom.

So glad we didn't fall asleep on the couch.

Shopping! The Musical!

 

When we were visiting San Francisco last weekend for a one-day conference, our head was seriously sore when we missed the Bay-area's latest musical extravaganza:  Shopping!  The Musical.

We admit it:  we love shopping.  Anyway, anytime.  There is always room for things you love, we say-- but if shopping isn't kept in check, clutter can get out of control faster than the Santa Ana winds.

Joining the long list of San Francisco musicals (think Menopause! The Musical!, Puppetry of the Penis), award-winning writer Morris Bobrow's "Shopping" combines songs and sketches just ripe for adventure. 

Every store and shopper beware.  Ever had a moment of compassion at Costco?   Does Macy's make you miserable?  Do you get down and dirty at Bergdorfs?  Feel needy at Neimans?  It's all in there, all the frustrations, annoyances and joys.

You know you're curious.  Tell, us, if you were to star in your very own shopping monologue, give us a snippet of what you'd say from the stage?

• Shopping!  The Musical
• Image courtesy of BusinessWeek and Marty Umans

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