3 Closets Designed: From Frame to Finish (by me!)

I had the good fortune to be asked to help a client (who was in the middle of a remodel) by designing her new closets. And so, grid paper, pencils, electric sharpener, measuring tape and a ruler were promptly purchased! Electrical boxes, outlets, plumbing and 
fixtures were duly noted. 

I asked the client, "what are the most important things?" This closet was for linen, so deep shelves, as many as possible in the space allowed and a little lip at the front to contain the slipping and sliding of fluffy towels & Egyptian Cotton sheets on the nice smooth pine shelves.  The rectangular cubby on the right is so that the electrical panel for the second floor can be accessed, and it conveniently stores a rolled up Queen Sized air-bed.

This is the raw Master Closet. We talked about two sets of double doors, one tall mounted dowel for long ware, two "stacked" mounted dowels for shirts, skirts and pants that can be folded over a hanger.
SIDES:  Right side cubbies for purses / scarfs / belts / hats. Under those, a boot shelf, measured specifically to her tallest pair of boots. Left side slanted shoe shelves, again with a lip so the shoes don't slip off :)
            

Here are the 

lovely built-ins 
close up:

And here's final touches. A top shelf wraps around the entire
ceiling to store extra shoes and whatnot, and a smaller shelf
on top of the lower dowel for misc. like a change bowl or a 
couple shallow baskets for sunglasses and wallets...?

            Here's a raw version of a Mini Master
                closet in the Guest Room.  

Finished Mini Master :)

Here it is w/ final touches. We only had one side deep enough to work with, so we did the same cubby holes and fewer shoe racks (slanted w/ lips) right below.

Storage shelf above, the length of the closet. A divided dowel for my client's evening gown storage on one side and and empty dowel for guests' items on the other when they come to stay.  

Here's a little 

closer look at 

the guest closet 

built-ins. 










All in all, an awesome chance for me to learn some design on the fly, but actually it's kind of innate in me; my Dad is an interior designer, product designer, retail space designer, art designer, graphic designer, ALL self taught ~ but my most favorite title of his when I was little was "food designer."  He was a chef as well, and although we're Italian, I grew up on his awesome Chinese food and his penchant for all things breakfast, pies and breads! Sadly, "food design" is not in me - because I had my own personal chef for too long (both Dad & Mom), which causes the great dilemma of being a food snob with nothing to back it up :-/

Thanks for reading!

God Damn PAPERWORK!

Hello! Long time no blog! I have been lazy, in blogging, but not in organizing! Hopefully, this is one of 3 posts I've been meaning to do.

SO, it's tax time and all that paper piling up is possibly important, no? Possibly~ luckily for me, and this particular Client last week, he is not writing off any of these stacks / piles / throngs / troves / masses . . . this mother load of paper bits was mostly for the shredding pile, but there was still the task of sifting through and looking at each one. We found roughly 8 new gift cards for various places, a $168 claim for lost funds to CA Employment Division and a $517 check from a job a year ago, un-cashed! He called that employer who is willing to reissue once he checks his records to make sure it wasn't reissued already ~ with all these $$ finds, I think he came out ahead with just the gift-card findings alone even after he paid me ~ plus the $168 & $517 checks, if they come through. He made money by hiring me! That's a good day :)

Hi, I'm Desk. Do I Stress you out? Sorry~

I'm simply a corner,
Once bathed in the sun :(

 The sun shines outside, but not for me. 

HI!! Now I am happy, so YOU are happy! 

I, Floor, cannot breath very well...

My books are about to commit suicide.
Signed, The Shelf

My books now choose LIFE!
And D. Floor can breath again!

Thanks for stopping by! Call me if you need me ~ Happy March :)

Random Tips-O-Plenty

So some random household tips have been popping into my head lately, and I thought I'd share ~ why not? Some things will make you say, "No Shit, Sherlock" and maybe some will make you say, "Huh, I never thought of that!"

A couple I have already posted on the fb page, so for the 2 people that read those, excuse me for repeating myself :)

1. I can do "survival sewing" ~ meaning I can mend holes, buttons, add patches, and hem something with a needle and thread if I absolutely have to. BUT I find using hemming tape is an easy and cheap alternative to getting pants hemmed. Especially if you're a shrimp like me and have to hem many pairs! Here's what it looks like, found almost anywhere like RiteAid, Walgreens, Joann's, Amazon, etc...instructions on the package.
2. Do you by chance have a wood shower rod? Wood closet rods?  Take a little olive oil on a rag or paper towel and rub it into the pole once a month, your curtain and hangers will glide like butter, with less cholesterol!  
3. Got candle wax on your fav table cloth or clothing? Pick off the big chunks then iron (high heat) with wax paper in between the cloth and the iron, you will be ironing the wax paper itself, and voila! The wax paper will suck up the candle wax via the heat of the iron.
4. Got wax or some mysterious crust on your nice antique (or contemporary) furniture? Take a plastic credit card or some card you don't care about (Ralph's Rewards, PetCo Rewards) and use it to scrape off the offending stuff. Plastic won't scratch the surface. 
5. Got a small closet STUFFED with clothes on thick plastic hangers that are all askew? Amazon sells thin, thin "no-slip" hangers that will give you much more space on the rod and ease in getting clothes in and out of the bounty that is your wardrobe. Photo below, roughly $26 for 50 hangers!
6. Always loosing your keys....on a permanent basis? And you have important keys like office keys or your boss's new Mercedes key on there? Go to PetCo or PetSmart and have a small pet tag engraved in their automated machine, stating "If Found, Please Call xxx-xxx-xxxx" and put it on your keyring ~ Then pray a nice person finds them next time :)
7. LADIES: use an upright Cigar Box on the back of the toilet (or the side, on the floor) for tampons. Or use a regular flat box, if there is room on the back of the toilet. You can go to any smokeshop and buy an empty one ($3-$5) or coax it out of the person behind the counter. It will look cool and hide the goods perfectly~

That's all I've got for today, but I'm sure more will come to mind, so I will let you know when I remember!

As always ~ Thanks for reading :) 

Kitchen Cupboards: A Place for Meal. . .Worms?

The answer is No. Surprising, I know. But sadly, often your home is a home away from home for them. Now if I only knew where their actual home was~ Because, maybe a 10 year old bag of cereal is their Home. Maybe I'm the asshole who just evicted a bunch of them. Huh. Anywho, I have some photos to share (none of the mealworms, gross and stop wanting just the sensational stuff!)  ~ These are the cupboards where I found cereal from long, long ago and a galaxy far, far away, crackers made by companies that no longer exist, rock-hard powdered drinks, 11 years worth of take-out condiments (beginning the year they moved in) AND some actual dry goods from the previous owners. No shit. My client confessed. 

So, while the photos may not be as impressive as an Oprah home-makeover show, just know that the cleanse, physically and psychologically, was enormous. And the mealworms are in their own kind of heaven now, the dump. I love my job - I actually do! I LOVE cleaning out that kind of stuff - and making people feel so much better about their home! It's a blessing :)  As always, Thanks for reading!

Just 3 "Befores" 

The rest are "Afters" 

And this Guy, just cus I didn't think he should live in a drawer anymore. 

A Proud Moment~

After moving a client from Santa Monica to Venice, I was paid an utterly awesome compliment - VB (my client) looked around her new place at the tail end of unpacking and said "I can't even imagine doing this without you, can you? Write yourself a quote from me, whatever you want, and I'll sign it."


I'm not writing my own quote from her, cause I don't think I can beat that one.  And my reply to her is this, "I think anyone can do anything out of necessity, but I sure do appreciate your take on it!"


Much love, VB!   Now today I'm going back to make her a MacBook of photos of her recent trip to the Himalayas with her Mom, Merry Christmas to her Momma!

Thanks for reading and may your week be organized!   xo rr

Check out Someone else's Kid Solutions!

<---- Before: A huge dresser is a catch-all and totally underused.


After: ------>
A small cabinet I found in the yard
is re-purposed and just the right size!

<----------->

Before: Ummm, don't really need to say anything here, except 5 & 9 year old girls  share a closet....

After: I am hopeful that it stays this way....
but I am also a dreamer ;)

<-----------------> 

Thanks for visiting! Ciao ~ Ruby 

Confession-of-the-day: Sometimes, I'm a Mess!

Hi There-

Forgive me People, for I have been a mess. Maybe the term "mess" is relative, but for me to preach organization and then carelessly toss DVDs and books around, neglect making the bed for days, and often leave my PJs on the floor (WTF?),  well, it's just wrong, and this is my collective, giant confessional.


I feel it necessary to show you as well. The aforementioned PJs on the left, the chaotic bookshelf above-right, and below is my poor beautiful antique Chinese chest, slowly becoming a small electronics & handbag depot. Chairman Mao would have sent me to the fields.



So, it was time to get my tiny place whipped into shape. Money where my mouth is, baby.
I began with the bookshelf. It's not as easy as you might think, especially when you have different sized things, books/albums/DVDs all on one shelf.  As you've all read and gathered, I have a limited space, to say the least-because I don't have the space to say the most.

On that shelf in particular, I was in a bind - not having enough of any one thing to adjust the shelf up or down and fill it. I also didn't have an extra shelf to insert, which would have helped fix the issue.  I had to get creative with placement. First, I pulled out all the regular sized books, edited my other shelfs to fit them, then put everything else on it's side. Next, biggest  things on the bottom (the albums), then my "coffee table" books side by side and leveled, to become a shelf in themselves, and lastly the DVDs.

I had to give up a few regular sized books, and I also edited my DVDs (you may be thinking What a sad collection for an actor & writer...) BUT I know that everything, I mean everything, I may need or want can be found on this giant series of tubes I'm using right now. And, less we forget, the Public Libraries - while they're still open!


You don't have to always donate your stuff if you're having a hard time parting with it, you can also sell your media at Amoeba or your local resale place (getting a few bucks always makes it easier).  In LA/SF, check out www.amoeba.com.

With the Chinese chest,  I just simply put my purses away in their box and my tiny electronic devices into their silver vase you see there. My phone lives on that plate, where it charges.  I'm allowing myself to keep the one purse out that I am currently using. The glass box full of beads is art, to me anyway :)


And that's my big secret - I like to toss things around and leave them where they lie. Sometimes...

Thanks for listening!

xo ruby