Friday Night Dine with the Famous and Organized

If you are in Los Angeles this Friday, January 30, why don’t you join Hal Sparks of “Queer As Folk” and Christopher Knight of “The Brady Bunch” and “My Fair Brady”  at the 2009 Los Angeles Organizing Awards?  Also appearing will be organizing celebrities Sam Saboura, Gia Russo, and Jodie Watson all of “Real Simple. Real Life”, Dorothy Breininger of “Dr. Phil Show”, Linda Koopersmith of “Clean House” and Monica Ricci of “Mission: Organization”.

The entertainment industry is not the only group walking down the red carpet during the Hollywood Awards’ season.  You are invited to join professional organizers from across the county at the gala that “made organizing sheek” according to Oprah’s Peter Walsh. 

Chris McKenry, Immediate Past President of NAPO-LA will also be on the program that evening and  Get It Togethter LA! is a finalist in the Best Closet Design category.  In 2007, Get It Together LA! took home that honor.

The Office Depot, Presenting Sponsor of the event, will have a drawing for a $500 shopping spree.  The event is produced by the National Association of Professional Organizers, Los Angeles chapter and with production support by the Dave Linden Group. 

Share the glamor of Hollywood, the culinary delights of the Luxe Hotelin Bel Air, and excitement of the 4th Annual Los Angeles Organizing Awards.  REGISTER NOW at napola.org.

McKenry Designs “Red Carpet” Closets

It’s the most organized “Red Carpet” in Los Angeles!  The 2009 Los Angeles Organizing Awards have announced the top recipients of this year’s online voting and Get It Together LA! is again in the running for Best Closet Design Firm.  The winners will be announced at the January 30th event to be held at the Luxe Hotel in Bel-Air.

This year’s gala will be hosted by actor/comedian Hal Sparks and organizing industry leaders from across the country will be in attendance.    If you want to know what the latest trend is in the world of organizing get into your organized closet and grab your couture and come to the Gala at the end of the month.  Click here and see what you missed at last year’s event.

“It is an honor to just have been nominated,” say Chris McKenry who is a past award winner.  “We don’t just build beautiful closets, we offer complete assessments of client’s organizing needs.  It just goes to show, it is not about the space as much as how you use it.”  Chris went on to saym ”there are many other great closet designers out there that have inspired me and I wish them the best on Awards night.” 

Last year McKenry was caught on the Red Carpet with the 2008 host Sherri Shepherdof ABC-TV’s “The View”.  To attend the 4th annual Los Angeles Organizing Awards click here.

Closet Organizing Tip from Get It Together LA!:  Keep only what you wear and love.  Group like items together and use uniform hangers so all clothes will hang at the same height.

Organize Your Home Office for the New Year

It’s a new year and time for a fresh start.  Before the 2009 clutter begins piling up get your expense files set up.  This is the perfect time to start an organized system for your paper so filing taxes at the end of the year will be easy.

For the typical home, keep categories broad and only keep the receipts for items to be deducted.  “Credit Cards 09″, “Medical 09″, “Mortgage/Rent 09″ , and “Utilities 09″ are possibly needed files.  Use MS Word to create labels for files and save the document.  Then next year all that is necessary is reprinting and changing the year.  Also create files for bank reconciliations.

Remove all of the 2008 expenses from your desk, prepare your taxes, then move records to your archive storage.  This may be your basement, garage, or back of closet.  Check with your tax preparer to see how long you need to keep your tax records.  Typically, seven years is all that is required by the IRS.  Now your “prime real estate” is available and clutter free.

Instead of the overstuffed shoe box, use small-13 compartment-check wallets for keeping your receipts for credit cards or petty cash.  These come with labels for alphabetical or monthly divisions.  Again only keep the receipts that you will deduct from your taxes.

Get out NOW to The Container Store or your favorite office supply store and you will be ready for filing your 2009 taxes this time next year.