Organizers Unite

March 11, 2015

Yesterday I had the pleasure of attending the APDO-UK annual conference! For those of you going what the heck is “APDO”, it stands for “The Association of Professional Declutters & Organisers”. I have followed APDO’s newsletters and events before I even relocated to the UK. When the chance to attend the 2015 conference arrived I jumped to sign up hoping I would be able to meet some fellow organizers and also learn more about the business. I was able to do that and so much more!

I attended day one of the two day conference, which was the only day open to “non members” of the organization. The theme this year is “Vision Inspires Change: Seeing = Believing + Action”. When I arrived at the Resource for London where the event was taking place I was nervous seeing that a lot of the women had already grouped themselves at little tables in the cafe area. My nervousness quickly melted away when Zem and Sally, fellow organizers, kindly started chatting to me.

Throughout the day I got a chance to listen to some amazing speakers including Rivka Caroline from SoBeOrganized, Karen Kingston from Karen Kingston International Ltd, and Francesca Geens from Digital Dragonfly.  I also got to take part in a special workshop on hoarding hosted by Cherry Rudge from Rainbowred. I learned so many interesting and useful things including tips on marketing, dealing with obstacles, technology, and running a business.

My absolute favorite part of the day were the delicious biscuits they had during our tea breaks. Ok yes I am joking, but as an American I’m still getting use to the sheer amount of tea and delicious cookies the English offer. My real favorite part of the day was just the one on one interaction I got to have with people who have the same passion as myself. Getting to meet inspiring people, learn so many tips, and experience being a part of a community of organizers was so worth it! I really bonded with a few women who I hope to build lasting relationships with.

Just to let you know a little more about the organization itself, APDO-UK is a growing organization that currently has around 125 members. They celebrated their 10 year anniversary this year! One of the amazing things about APDO is because it is still growing everyone has some involvement with the organization. It was amazing to see almost all of the members at the conference. On top of that it was so great to meet Ingrid who is the president of APDO, face to face. She is such a kind woman and I appreciated her making me feel so welcome. Patty who is in charge of international affairs also made a point to come by and ask me what I thought about the day. I am not a member of APDO-UK (yet) because I was living in the states but after the conference the appeal of joining is huge!

I am a member of NAPO, the National Association of Professional Organizers which is a large organization based in the USA with thousands of members (including international members as well). An interesting topic that was brought up a couple times during the day was just how much more the USA is ahead of the UK when it comes to the organizing profession. People tend to be more receptive and open to getting help in the states, where as in UK it’s just not as common to reach out to an organizer or even know what one does. One of the speakers who now lives in Miami made quite a funny statement saying in the states everyone reaches out for help, you have a therapist, your dog has a therapist, and your dog’s therapist has a therapist! Having lived in Los Angeles that rang so true! But that’s not to say that the UK doesn’t have a need for organizers. After my hoarding workshop it was clear that disorganization is a very prevalent issue in the country. Even though the states might be a bit ahead, they better watch out because the UK is making large advances in the organizing community!

Overall I am so glad I went outside my bubble and went! I will leave APDO’s website link below, check them out!

PS: Special thanks to Alessandra Gerardi who was the photographer during the conference!

http://www.apdo-uk.co.uk

K xo

Let's Grow

March 6, 2015

 I have been dreaming of...succulents. Yes, you heard me correctly. I have been dreaming of those cute little green fleshy leafed plants. Before I moved to London I had been obsessing over having some. I finally made this dream a reality when I visited the New Covent Garden Flower Market!

I went on a Wednesday morning around 7 am which was just enough time to get a good look around and grab the items I knew I wanted. Parking was very easy, £5 to get into the main entrance. Once you park just make your way into any of the numbered entrances and you will be in a huge warehouse type building filled with every flower, plant, and gardening accessory you can think of! Aside from plants there are also booths filled with pots, tools, crafting items and much more.

I didn’t do any bargaining, I was already too nervous just asking the burly men working the booths how much something was haha. It’s a wholesale market so prices are already really reasonable, but if you do want to buy in bulk ask for the best possible price! Bring cash to pay. It’s a lot easier, quicker, and seems like the most accepted way to pay for your items. I was also smart enough the night before I went to think of what I wanted to bring to the market the next day. It was freezing both outside and inside the building so I brought a beanie, some gloves, and most importantly a big thick plastic tote bag. Think about how you will get all your goodies home! I was so glad I had something to put my pots and plants in to carry around. I believe they also have large metal carts if you are buying a large amount of items.

The selection of plants was amazing, there were a lot that I had never seen or heard of! I knew I wanted an orchid so when I found “A Goodchild” booth I hit the jackpot! The orchids there are absolutely gorgeous and super healthy. I bought a large one stem white orchid for £15. That’s a steal! I also wanted some pots and I found a beautiful blue pot for my orchid for £8. Later on I purchased a super cute grey pot for £4 and an amazing bell jar for only £10. Last but definitely not least, I found the little succulent and cacti babies I had my eyes on. A lot of booths had similar looking plants but I finally settled on a few that I loved. I picked them out of a tray and walked up to the register. The man behind the desk looked at me and said what I thought was “You should buy a tray”. Bubbly I responded, “Oh, is it cheaper to buy a tray?” to which he gave me this look and said, “No, they are sold by the tray. You HAVE to buy a tray”. Whoops! I clinched my teeth waiting for the price of this tray of gorgeous succulents to drain my wallet, but after all that they were only £16 for 20 little plants! So there’s a little tidbit for you, if there’s something in a tray it most likely is sold per tray haha. All in all I spent around £55 pounds for all that!

One funny thing I noticed about the market was the amount of men working. It’s such a colorful, flowery, pretty place and these men working are such “manly” men! They stood there and talked about sports, smoked a cigarette, and really worked hard! I don’t know what, if anything, I expected but it was a little dash of humor that I enjoyed that morning.

I will definitely be returning soon to buy more! Get there early, by the time I was leaving which was around 8:45 am everyone was packing up for the day. I will post the link to the website below. You can find all the info on parking, location and hours on the website!

Ok I’m going to go talk to my cute little plants now. I heard it makes them happy!

   http://www.newcoventgardenmarket.com/flower-guide

K xo

Shelf Awareness

March 7, 2015

Since moving into a new house I have been under attack.

I am constantly battling a pile of boxes, displaced objects, and ridiculous amounts of trash. If you looked around right now you might say I should wave a white flag, but I’m not defeated yet! Here’s the thing about moving, it’s a long process to find everything a home and then to actually get it into place.

Being an organizer with a mild case of OCD I do crave for things to be in order, and quickly. Thankfully it’s only been three weeks since our belongings arrived from the states and the house is already looking completely different (in a great way)!

Choosing a starting point and working from there can help alleviate some of the stress of moving or redecorating. I’ve focused my energy on the main floor of my home which consists of an open plan living room, dining room, and kitchen. This is the area my family spends the most time in, so it made sense to start there!

My husband Jonny and I have a pretty large book collection, which has been piled on the ground for weeks. We knew we wanted a book shelf but weren’t sure what exactly we wanted. After a few visits from carpenters about possibly building a built in shelving unit we just knew the end result was not going to be aesthetically what we like. One carpenter proposed a very heavy built in with curved edges and thick shelves. All I could think about in my head was an 80’s Florida-esq piece of furniture. Definitely not the modern and sleek vision we had hoped for.

Enter Vitsoe! I had walked by the showroom on Duke Street many times but never stopped in. Finally Jonny and I popped in and were welcomed by Sebastian who explained the whole system to us. Basically it was love at first sight (with the bookshelves, not Sebastian of course)! The Vitsoe 606 Universal Shelving System is a dream. It looks amazing, it’s functional, and it was way less money then the quotes we had received for a built in system. It was a very quick and simple process to get started, Sebastian organized a site visit at our home to check our wall and make sure the plan for our shelves would be precise. Then about two weeks later the installers came out and got started!

The installation process blew my mind. Jeff and Alastair arrived early and got straight to work. I had imagined it being an all day affair and got settled in at my dining room table to get some work done. About an hour later I looked up from my computer and it was almost completely installed! All in all it took about an hour and a half and we had our perfect dream bookshelf.

The service at Vitsoe is amazing. From visiting the showroom to the actual installation process everything is simple. If you have a space in your home where you need more storage, functionality, or just want to add some flair, the 606 Shelving System could be the perfect option for you. Making good use of every space in your home can make organizing a breeze! Now I have a beautiful shelving system to start filling in!

If you have any questions about the shelving system in our home or how I’m going to tackle organizing the books and knick knacks please let me know. Ok, i’m off to go nerd out on books now!

For full information on Vitsoe visit their website…and they ship worldwide! https://www.vitsoe.com/gb

K xo

Hyde and Seek

February 24, 2015

“I go to nature to be soothed and healed, and to have my senses put in order.” -John Burroughs

Living in Los Angeles for the past four years I had forgotten what the word “park” meant, unless it was relating to trying to fit my Hyundai between a Range Rover and a Bentley in an overly packed parking lot. Unfortunately the only area designated as a park near my home in LA is not the most relaxing place where one can feel close to nature. I wouldn’t be able to sit on a bench surrounded by quiet and reflect on anything…unless I was reflecting on the shirtless supermodels running past me. Yes a park in LA, for the most part is a place where you go to be seen.

Ah, London. If I just take a quick walk and go around a few corners I arrive at a mystical place, a real park! Over 350 acres of lush greenery, wildlife, and history. I’m not saying these places do not exist in Los Angeles, but nothing in my opinion beats a good old (legitimately old, circa 1500’s) English park. Moving here and discovering I was so close to Hyde Park has been a serious treat. I love taking my usual path and ending up on the same bench (the bench where Damon Albarn wrote “Parklife” for his band Blur, look for the plaque on the bench).

Make sure to walk to the Serpentine and near the boathouses you will see some amazing wildlife. The swans are my absolute favorite! I had actually never seen one before coming here. Feeding them is a lot of fun, but beware, they will follow you around for more food! If you are in London take the time to go to the park and enjoy some nature!

For information on Hyde Park including a map, landmarks, and refreshments visit royalparks.org.uk

PS: Bring the swans lettuce!

K xo

Let's Get Physical

February 20, 2015

Hello there!

This is one of my favorite closet projects I’ve done to date. This client has a very stressful job, works very long hours at odd times, and the last thing she wanted to do was tidy. Who would?

That’s where I come in! When I see a space like this I get excited. Changing an area from cluttered to orderly can lift a lot of stress, extra stress that no one wants (or needs).

We took every single thing out of the closet. One by one, we went through the items and decided whether they were “keep”, “donate”, or “trash”. When organizing, these are the three golden categories I use for deciding what to do with an item.

My client had also gone through a dramatic weight loss and still had a lot of her old clothing. My tip is this, keep a few items if you absolutely can’t part with them, but if they are more then two sizes too big get rid of them! You want to stay positive and look forward, not go backwards on your progress. These items are taking up valuable space in your closet!

At the end of the day a large amount of clothes were able to be donated, which is always a great feeling. All in all to get this closet from “before” to “after” it took me three sessions (keep in mind every project is unique!).

Here’s a few tips:

-There is always room for improvement…don’t be discouraged early on. Take a project on step by step, little by little. Don’t let it overwhelm you!

-Using velvet hangers in a closet can free up a LOT of space. If you’re using plastic/thick hangers you could be cutting down your hanging space by half. And no one wants that!

-Keep sentimental items that are never worn safe in a plastic crate or displayed in a fun way, like a shadow box. Keeping these items hung up with “every day” clothes takes up space and also puts them at risk to be damaged.

K xo

Let's Eat

Zadig & Voltaire Westbourne Grove, London

February 15, 2015

After days working on putting this blog together piece by piece, I realized something…I should probably go outside! Now i’m the complete opposite of your sun-loving stereotypical Southern California girl (tan, walking around in a bathing suit 24/7), but when the sun comes out in London like it did today, you drop everything and go outside.

If you’re in London you NEED to go to Notting Hill and visit the Electric Diner for a meal. I have never left unsatisfied! Today I went a bit nuts, but technically I can still classify the three pounds put on from eating that massive lunch as “winter weight” right? A few things I tried on this trip were the “squid, pickled peppers” starter, the “honey-fried chicken, chili, sesame seeds” wings, and a side of the “mashed potatoes, garlic jus“. Amazing, all of it! Oh, and they play their music on an old Reel-to-Reel (pictured above). How cool is that!

After lunch you can take a nice walk up the famous Portobello Road, and it’s a very close walk to Westbourne Grove where there are some great clothing shops. I stopped into the Zadig & Voltaire store and caused some major damage. I scored a black velvet blazer with embroidered skull on the back for myself. Originally £360 now £150! They are currently having an amazing sale in the store!

Eating and shopping, what more could you want?

 Ok, I can check off going out into the real world today. Back to the house I go! Stay tuned for more…

PS: Make a reservation at Electric Diner if you can, it gets busy!

K xo